In 2013, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved hydrocodone-based prescription opioid,  Zohydro ER, despite the medication not having abuse-deterrent properties and an 11-2 advisory committee vote against approval. At the time, the FDA came under fire for the approval and went to great lengths to defend the prescription opioid, which is something the agency does not often do.

I am pleased to report that Zohydro has now been pulled from the market. This is not the first time that the FDA has approved a controversial prescription opioid. In 2018, it approved Dsuvia, a drug that is 1,000 times more potent than morphine. The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) strongly opposed its approval, as well as that of Zohydro ER. Unfortunately, Dsuvia is still on the market.

We must stay vigilant in the fight against the opioid epidemic, and PDFNJ will continue to combat opioid addiction and substance use.  I urge all of you to sign up for our next Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day Learning Series Webinar, “The Opioid Epidemic and the Impact on New Jersey Families,” at 11 a.m. on February 24. To register click here.

Be well.