December 16, 2013
AG Masto Delivers Address on Prescription Drug Abuse
Las Vegas, NV – Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto joined 41 other state and territorial attorneys general in sending a letter today to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging it to require manufacturers of generic prescription pain relievers to develop tamper-resistant versions of their products. Prescription drug abuse has reached epidemic levels in many states; requiring abuse-deterrent pain killing prescription drugs (opioids) is a commonsense improvement that provides yet another important tool in the fight against this epidemic.
“Nevada has some of the highest rates of prescription drug abuse in the country,” said Masto. “Sadly we know that a direct consequence of abuse and misuse is deaths due to prescription drugs overdose. The letter to the FDA is a clear message for stronger enforcement on generic opioids, and to develop a clear and fair regulatory standard for the addition of abuse-deterrent technologies. I will continue to fight the prescription abuse epidemic in Nevada in order to save lives.”
In their letter the attorneys general thanked the FDA for their recent efforts to require abuse-deterrent formulations for branded opioid drugs. However, they also urged the FDA to go even further by ensuring that generic opioids, like their branded counterparts, have abuse-deterrent properties.
The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Agency 2012 Community Profile reports that in Nevada between 2009 and 2013, 2,082 people died from prescription drug overdoses. The report states that opioid painkillers now cause more drug overdose deaths than cocaine and heroin combined.
The letter comes on the heels of AG Masto’s address on prescription drug abuse at the Nevada High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Annual Training Summit.
To read the letter, click here.
SUGGESTED CUTLINE: Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada Attorney General, speaks with law enforcement, medical personnel, doctors, and family services concerned with the abuse of prescription drugs at the Nevada High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Annual Training Summit in Las Vegas Monday, Dec. 16, 2013.
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