FDA: Tougher painkiller drug labels needed

When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiates a change in the policy for displaying drug information, it’s important for companies to consider new medical labels that correspond with them and allow for the most pertinent alterations to be made. This change in regulations might affect any number of factors about the distribution of the drug in question, but when it comes to painkillers, one concern is the amount ingested.

The FDA announced on September 10th that the labels on certain painkiller drugs will be updated to combat the rising dangers of possible overdose. The new changes, which are reportedly expected to be seen in effect by this December, will also seek to govern a shift in the way that these drugs are prescribed, to limit the amount of exposure patients and the public have to these potentially harmful agents.

This effort seeks to alter it so that drugs of this caliber are more available to those who need them, including well-known and oft-prescribed products like OxyContin.

The FDA’s Dr. Douglas Throckmorton describes in the release the desired outcome of these new regulations, which corresponding producers of medicine might want to keep in mind.

“These labeling changes describe more clearly the risks and safety concerns associated with ER/LA opioids and will encourage better, more appropriate, prescribing, monitoring and patient counseling practices involving these drugs,” he says.

Pharmacy labels and other important signifiers for drug packages can have real ramifications within the industry and for consumers. Whenever critical label changes are made, an up-to-date printing system can help producers keep with the times and make changes.