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Patient Testimony Highlights Difficulties Of Pain Drug Development, US FDA Regulation Of Opioids

 
• By Michael Cipriano

At patient-focused drug development meeting, many patients explained that opioids gave them functionality versus side effects such as suicidal ideation and fatigue that come with other treatments.

US FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has positioned combatting opioid epidemic as a top priority during his tenure as head of the agency, but testimony from chronic pain patients shed light on how difficult it is for both drugmakers to develop alternative treatments and for FDA to best regulate opioid use.

Speaking at a July 9 meeting about patient-focused drug development for chronic pain, several patient speakers shared anecdotes decrying the...

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More from US FDA

First Among Equals: US FDA CBER Director Prasad Gains Agency-Wide Authority

 
• By Bridget Silverman

As Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, Vinay Prasad will advise the FDA Commissioner on cross-cutting issues, provide strategic leadership and be a public face of the agency.

BIO Notebook: Policy Problems, ACIP’s Future, BI Is Popular, Makary On FDA-Industry Ties

 
• By Sarah Karlin-Smith and Mandy Jackson

Highlights from Day Two of the BIO International Convention include BIO officials raising concerns about Trump Administration policies, the future of ACIP, an interview with BI's head of global business development, and FDA Commissioner Martin Makary's view of the FDA-industry relationship.

Post-Approval, Real-Time Monitoring Will Help Approval Standards, US FDA’s Makary Says

 
• By Sue Sutter

The FDA will use electronic health records to “get eyes” on drugs immediately after approval, Commissioner Martin Makary told the DIA 2025 Global Annual Meeting. He also wants to reduce development time with better communication and new approval pathways.

US FDA Teases Disclosure Program, But Industry Has Seen This Before

 
• By Derrick Gingery

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Director Vinay Prasad said Commissioner Martin Makary wants to release previously inaccessible FDA documents, but previous commissioners have made the same pronouncements only to make little progress.

More from Agency Leadership

US FDA Could Miss User Fee Spending Triggers With House FY 2026 Funding

 
• By Sarah Karlin-Smith and Derrick Gingery

FDA employees are concerned that while the budget authority total proposed for fiscal year 2026 meets the user fee appropriations' triggers, the FDA could have trouble meeting allocation triggers without cuts to non-review work.

US FDA May Consolidate Support Services After Extensive Cuts

 
• By Derrick Gingery and Sue Sutter

Commissioner Martin Makary told staff that plans are being developed to centralize HR, IT, travel and other functions, which were heavily impacted by the 1 April reduction-in-force.

US FDA’s Rising First-Cycle Complete Response Rate Draws Congress’ Attention

 
• By Sue Sutter

The House Appropriations Committee wants an analysis of how issues that led to CRLs could have been resolved within the first review cycle and seeks an agency crackdown on counterfeit GLP-1 agonists.