FDA OVERTURNS ITS POLICY ON MORPHINE-BASED DRUGS

The Drug Enforcement Administration on Wednesday overturned a two-year-old
policy that many pain specialists said was limiting their ability to
properly treat chronically ill patients in need of powerful morphine-based
painkillers.

While defending its efforts to aggressively investigate doctors who
officials conclude are writing painkiller prescriptions for no "legitimate
medical purpose," the agency agreed with the protesting experts that it had
gone too far in limiting how doctors prescribe the widely used medications.

The unusual turnaround was welcomed by relieved doctors, who said it will
help restore "balance" in government policy between the needs of pain
patients and the effort to control prescription drug abuse and diversion.

Specifically, the DEA proposed a formal rule that would allow doctors with
patients who need a constant supply of morphine-based painkillers to write
multiple prescriptions in a single office visit. Under the new rule, a
doctor can write three 30-day prescriptions at a time - two of them
future-dated to be filled a month apart.

Two years ago, the agency clamped down on the common practice of writing
such multimonth prescriptions, which it said were probably illegal and were
contributing to the growing abuse of prescription painkillers.

As a result of the DEA's position, many doctors began requiring patients to
come in each month for a new prescription - office visits many doctors
considered medically unnecessary but essential to keep them out of trouble
with the DEA.

Wednesday, DEA Administrator Karen Tandy said the agency had been wrong in
limiting the multiple prescriptions and had made the tough decision to
reverse course. She said the DEA received more than 600 comments from
doctors, patients and others about its policies on painkillers.