Proposed FDA Plan on Prescription Drugs Rejected

A lack of mandated training for physicians has helped sink a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal intended to curb misuse of prescription drugs, the New York Times reported July 23.

The FDA advisory committee voted 25-10 to reject the plan, with most members saying the proposal was not stringent enough to effectively cut the misuse of drugs like OxyContin, fentanyl, and methadone. The agency typically goes along with its advisory-council recommendations.

The plan urged doctors to get voluntary training in prescribing powerful painkillers but did not require that they do so.