Ending painkiller abuse requires doctor training, drug czar says

By J. Scott Applewhite, By AP

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg speaks during Tuesday's news conference in Washington to announce new prescription drug safety measures.

EnlargeCloseBy J. Scott Applewhite, By AP

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg speaks during Tuesday's news conference in Washington to announce new prescription drug safety measures.

The Obama administration’s Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan calls on Congress to amend the Controlled Substances Act with a new requirement: that health care practitioners learn appropriate uses for opioid medicines and how to screen patients for drug abuse before they can get a Drug Enforcement Administration license to prescribe controlled substances. Opioids, such as hydrocodone, are synthetic drugs that mimic the effects of opium and can be used to treat severe pain. They can be highly addictive.

The DEA, Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services endorsed the plan.

MORE: FDA orders lower doses in prescription painkillers STORY: CDC links prescription painkillers in pregnancy to birth defectsWhen prescription drugs are abused,

View the Original article