Although he was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate, the new chief of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Robert Califf, clearly heard the message from the handful of senators who wanted to block his confirmation based on his association with an agency that they say has been complicit in America's opioid epidemic.
In remarks Tuesday, Califf promised to work hard to make painkillers less addictive and to put warning labels on drugs. Recently, some opioid medications have been designed in ways to make them harder to snort or inject.
Califf said "the promise that we are on a path toward products that are effective in preventing abuse both by patients and non-patients is real," according to the AP.
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Remaking powerful drugs is only part of the solution, he conceded.
"What we can do is work with prescribers, professional associations, patient advocates, and state and local partners — essentially the entire country — to encourage safe use and disposal of opioid medications," he said, according to the AP.
His remarks will likely be met with plenty of skeptics, many of whom believe the problem is that far too many people are being prescribed powerful opioids for conditions that do not demand them. Recent studies have cast doubts on the effect of such drugs in treating chronic pain.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is poised to approve a bill aimed at tackling opioid abuse. Although there is broad bipartisan support for the legislation, which seeks to improve addiction treatment and make anti-overdose drugs more widely available to paramedics and cops, the White House said Tuesday that it wanted $600 million of emergency funds attached to the bill to jumpstart efforts immediately. So far, Republicans have balked at that demand.
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