FDA seeks input on requiring blister packs for certain opioid pain medicines

The Food and Drug Administration today published a notice seeking comment through July 30 on a potential change to the Opioid Analgesic Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy. The proposal would require that certain solid oral dosage forms of immediate-release opioid analgesics commonly prescribed to treat acute pain be made available in fixed-quantity blister packaging for outpatient dispensing. “This could reduce the amount of unused opioid analgesics, thereby reducing opportunities for misuse, abuse, inappropriate access and overdose, and possibly reducing the development of new opioid addiction,” the agency said. The Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act of 2018 allows the FDA to require special packaging for opioids and other drugs that pose a risk of abuse or overdose.