Patients and physicians want better pain relief and improved patient satisfaction. Mandates warrant “significant decreases in pain scores,” further increasing the demand for a drug such as Zohydro ER. Logically, drug companies will increase supply based on demand. Regulations, lobbying, restrictions, and patient and physician education may decrease the demand for opioids. As individuals, and hopefully as a group, the simplest way for us to decrease demand for Zohydro ER and similar products is not to prescribe them. In conclusion, until further data are available—especially addressing post-marketing safety—it is best to “say no to Zohydo” in the ED.
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ACEP Now: Vol 33 – No 06 – June 2014Dr. LoVecchio is vice chair and research director at the Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, professor of emergency medicine, pharmacology, and medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson, and co–medical director of the Banner Good Samaritan Poison & Drug Information Center.
References
- Rauck RL, Nalamachu S, Wild JE, et al. Single-entity hydrocodone extended-release capsules in opioid-tolerant subjects with moderate-to-severe chronic low back pain: a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Pain Med. 2014 Feb 12. [Epub ahead of print]
- Zohydro ER package insert. Zogenix Web site. Available at: www.zogenix.com/pdf/ZohydroER_PI_FINAL_102513.pdf. Accessed May 12, 2014.
- Ramin CJ. Why did the F.D.A. approve a new pain drug? The New Yorker. Dec. 3, 2013. Available at: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/currency/2013/12/zohydro-why-did-the-fda-approve-a-new-pain-drug.html. Accessed May 12, 2014.
- Associated Press. Abuse-resistant hydrocodone could sink sales of new drug. New York Times. March 12, 2014. Available at: www.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/business/abuse-resistant-hydrocodone-could-sink-sales-of-new-drug.html?src=recg&_r=0. Accessed May 12, 2014.
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One Response to “Emergency Physicians Urged Not to Prescribe New Opioid, Zohydro ER, Given High Potential for Abuse”
March 27, 2019
DavidDoctors need to be aware of a patient’s true need for an Opioid drug. They need more training to determine a patient’s potential for abuse.