New Painkiller 10 Times Stronger than Fentanyl Approved by FDA
More people die from drug overdoses than some forms of cancer in the United States. It’s one of the leading causes of premature, preventable deaths and the situation is continuing to worsen. Driven by an unrelenting hunger for pills, widespread availability of strong drugs, and the need to shut the world off, opioids have truly destroyed our society and changed the face of addiction as we know it. Good kids from good families find themselves at 5 am, shivering, waiting outside in line at the methadone clinic. A once well-liked, A-student is stealing his mom’s jewelry and selling it to a pawn shop for pennies on the dollar to get another bundle. All of this due to an overabundance of drugs, ripe for the picking.
Recently, the FDA approved a new medication, Dsuvia. Milligram for milligram, the drug is 10 times stronger than fentanyl and is designed to be given only in healthcare settings. The manufacturer of the drug, AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, states that Dsuvia will not be dispensed in any type of retail pharmacy for patients to take at home, however. The drug will only be administered to patients in hospitals and surgical centers.
The Commissioner of the FDA, Dr. Scott Gottlieb said, “The agency is taking new steps to more actively confront this crisis, while also paying careful attention to the needs of patients and physicians managing pain.”
When discussing the risks of addiction and abuse when it comes to opioid medications, the Commissioner pointed out that Dsuvia could have a benefit to injured soldiers, thus meeting a need for the U.S. military and the Pentagon.
In a statement made by Dr. David Leiman, clinical assistant of surgery at the University of Texas in Houston, he said, “As a single-dose, non-invasive medication with a rapid reduction in pain intensity, DSUVIA represents an important alternative for healthcare providers to offer patients for acute pain management.”
The worrisome part of the existence of a drug like Dsuvia is the fact that it will most likely wind up on the black market. Very few narcotic medications have been prevented from being diverted from healthcare settings and wound up illegally sold and distributed on the streets. The other frightening part of Dsuvia is that now there is a formulation out there for a drug even more potent than fentanyl, which is already strong enough. Fentanyl is continuing to ravage our nation, take our children, and destroy our society. Now, there’s something potentially worse out there than wreak further havoc and perpetuate an already out-of-control problem. One of the last things we need are more ultra-strong opioids to hit the market and be available for misuse.
Nothing good can come from this.
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