Califf, FDA top officials call for sweeping review of agency opioids policies

In response to the opioid abuse epidemic, Robert Califf, MD, FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco, along with other FDA leaders, has called for a far-reaching action plan to reassess the agency’s approach to opioid medications. The plan will focus on policies aimed at reversing the epidemic, while still providing patients in pain access to effective relief. FDA will re-examine the risk-benefit paradigm for opioids and ensure that the agency considers their wider public health effects.