Opioid painkiller production cuts proposed in U.S.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA) on Friday proposed a 20 per cent reduction in themanufacture of certain commonly prescribed opioid painkillers aswell as other controlled substances for next year.

The proposal comes as U.S. regulators and lawmakers takesteps to limit the supply of opioids a class of drugs thatinclude prescription painkillers and heroin to combat theepidemic of abuse, overdose and addiction.

Under the Controlled Substances Act, which organizes drugsinto groups based on risk of abuse or harm, most opioids comeunder the Schedule II category. The higher the category, thesmaller the risk.

Demand for certain Schedule II opioid painkillers includingmorphine, fentanyl, oxycodone and hydrocodone has dropped afterthe imposition of measures such as prescription-drug monitoringprograms, the DEA said.

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Still, opioid overdose kills 142 Americans a day, and drugoverdoses now surpass deaths caused by gun homicides and carcrashes combined, according to a White House commission formedto combat drug addiction and the opioid crisis.

The DEA's proposed production quotas for Schedule I and IIsubstances reflect the amount needed to meet the United States'medical, scientific, industrial, export and reserverequirements, the agency said.

Members of the public can comment on the proposal over thenext 30 days.

The DEA recommendation comes about two months after the U.S.Food and Drug Administration took the rare step of asking adrugmaker to withdraw its opioid painkiller from the market,citing the public health crisis. Endo International Plcin early July agreed to pull the drug, Opana ER.

Earlier this week, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessionsunveiled a plan to go after doctors and pharmacies suspected ofhealthcare fraud by over-prescribing opioids.

Purdue Pharma the maker of one of the most commonly abusedlong-acting oxycodone painkillers called Oxycontinwas notimmediately available for comment.