Members of Congress are calling on the FDA to label immediate-release opiates with the same "black box" warning as those found on extended-release versions of the drugs, the Rutland Herald reported.
“Given the national public health crisis of prescription drug overdoses ... we believe this common sense approach would equip patients and prescribers with information necessary to make informed decisions regarding the risks of opioid analgesics,” states a June 4 letter written to FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Ostroff, according to the newspaper.
There are 22 members of Congress who are pushing for this labeling change.
