FDA, CMS Will Use Parallel Review For Pain-Control Alternatives To Opioids, Medicare Official Says

The Medicare agency is working with US FDA on a parallel review process for non-addictive medical device pain control products and non-opioid drug alternatives to treat chronic pain, Kimberly Brandt, a CMS deputy administrator, told the Senate Finance Committee April 19.

US FDA and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have decided to use a parallelreview approach to expedite new device and drug treatments to control pain as an alternative to opioid medications, a CMS official told Sen. John Thune, R-SD, at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Medicare/Medicaid solutions to the opioid crisis.

"Because we know how important this is, we at CMS are working with FDA in a parallel process on opioid pain-control alternatives," said CMS Principal

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