AMA Applauds FDA Approval of Implant to Fight Opioid Addiction

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dr. Patrice Harris, chair-elect of the American Medical Assoc., praised the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approving a new, implantable option to help treat patients with substance-use disorders.

“With nearly 2.5 million Americans addicted to prescription opioids and heroin, patients will benefit from increased options for medication-assisted treatment,” she said. “Today’s approval by FDA, however, is only one of many steps we must take to rein in our spiraling opioid crisis. As physicians, we must avoid initiating opioids for new patients with chronic non-cancer pain unless the expected benefits are anticipated to outweigh the risks, we must limit the amount of opioids prescribed for post-operative care and acutely injured patients, and we must register for and use our state prescription-drug monitoring programs to assist in the care of patients when considering the use of controlled substances. There is no panacea to the opioid crisis.”