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posted by martyb on Sunday November 04 2018, @04:33AM   Printer-friendly
from the need-more-opioids-to-fight-the-opioid-epidemic dept.

FDA approves powerful new opioid in 'terrible' decision

The Food and Drug Administration approved a powerful new opioid Friday, despite strong criticism and accusations that it bypassed its own advisory process to do it.

The new drug, Dsuvia, is a tablet that goes under the tongue. It is designed for use in the battlefield and in other emergency situations to treat intense, acute pain.

Known generically as sufentanil, it's a new formulation of a drug currently given intravenously. Critics say it will be incredibly easy for health workers to pocket and divert the drug to the illicit drug market and because it is so small and concentrated, it will likely kill people who overdose on it.

"This is a dangerous, reckless move," said Dr. Sidney Wolfe senior adviser of Public Citizen's Health Research Group. He questions whether there's need for yet another synthetic opioid when the U.S. is in the throes of an opioid overdose crisis.

Sufentanil is described as 5 to 10 times more potent than fentanyl and 500 times as potent as morphine. Carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl, but is only approved for the veterinary use of tranquilizing large animals. Sufentanil is the strongest opioid painkiller available for use in humans.

Cannabis and kratom? Exercise caution!

Also at STAT News, NPR, and The Hill.

See also: People on front lines of epidemic fear powerful new drug Dsuvia

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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by EETech1 on Sunday November 04 2018, @07:29PM

    by EETech1 (957) on Sunday November 04 2018, @07:29PM (#757703)

    If I was to crush up and snort a couple of oxycodone pills, I know exactly what I'm in for.

    If I was to crush up and snort a bindle of heroin I bought from a junkie, not so much...

    The measured dose is what allows you to safely enjoy your vise, and the lack of crime involved with getting it from the pharmacy will go a long way towards not destroying lives, both physically, and financially.

    Drugs are a slippery slope, but some people like to ride it.

    But it's no different than any other dangerous recreational activity, if you give them the tools to do it safely.

    Some people wanna climb rocks, some people wanna smoke rocks.

    Why is it ok to be "addicted" to rock climbing, searching for higher and higher peaks to conquer?

    You're literally one mistake from death, risking it all for the thrill of it.
    Not thinking about anyone but yourself, and what you want to do.

    If someone wants to tweak out on amphetamines, why should their passion for smoking rocks, and taking the same risk of death as the rock climber be treated any differently? Why do we not allow them the gear to do it safely?

    Why do we put one of them in jail? Both the climber and the smoker just wanna get high, but we treat them so differently.

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