In a ruling announced on Thursday, the FDA ordered limits on a Vicodin ingredient. Acetaminophen, a painkiller found in everything from Vicodin to cold medicine, will be limited. This new limit is intended to cut down on the number of unintentional overdoses.
FDA orders limits on Vicodin ingredient
The FDA ruling will limit the amount of acetaminophen in each painkiller capsule. The current limit is 700 milligrams per pill. The new limit will allow no more than 325 milligrams per capsule or dose. Acetaminophen is a drug used to treat everything from headaches and fever to sore throats. Drugs like Vicodin, Percocet and hydrocodone generics mix acetaminophen with narcotics. Many narcotic painkillers also contain acetaminophen, but many patients may take additional acetaminophen, causing an overdose.
Problems with standard labeling
The limitation on acetaminophen comes partially from the lack of standard labeling. On some pills, acetaminophen is labeled as APAP, on others it is labeled with different abbreviations. This lack of standard labeling practice means it is tough for patients to avoid overdoses. The restrictions for the amount of the painkiller in prescriptions is likely to be followed up with a boxed warning. Acetaminophen is the leading cause of liver failure in the USA. The FDA estimates that there are about 120 deaths a year from overdoses of the drug.
Over the counter products with acetaminophen
Though the FDA is putting strong warnings on boxes and limiting the amount of painkillers in prescription medication, it is not limiting all drugs that contain acetaminophen. Many over the counter medications, such as Tylenol, will still contain acetaminophen above and beyond the 325 milligram limit. High-dose over the counter drugs have up to 500 milligrams per capsule. In 2009, an FDA panel voted to eliminate these narcotic / acetaminophen combinations entirely. The FDA, however, has decided to limit the amount of acetaminophen, rather than eliminating the drugs from the market.
Source
Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1328805720110113
Andrea is an entrepreneur, photographer and avid bike commuter with experience in everything from catering and construction to marketing and web design. Andrea writes extensively about technology, healthcare, and food.
CFPB to look into overdraft fees
The newly-opened Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced Wednesday that it will be looking into banking practices as they relate to overdraft fees. Near the top of consumer complaints, banks say that overdraft fees are a fair way to keep customers from getting overextended. Others say they are just a profit-making venture. CFPB probes banking practices [...]
Supposed Wooly Mammoth footage from Siberia was fraud
A recent viral video purports to show grainy footage of a Wooly Mammoth alive and well in Siberia. The footage has been revealed to be not only a hoax, but involved theft of a legitimate documentary filmmaker’s hard work. A mammoth hoax The Wooly Mammoth is one of the largest mammals to have walked the [...]
Same-sex marriage signed into law in Washington state
On Monday, Washington became the seventh state in the nation to legally allow same sex marriages. Governor Chris Gregoire (D) signed the recently-passed bill into law. The governor signed the bill surrounded by supporters and gay rights advocates. But even as the ink was drying, opponents to the measure were vowing to fight to repeal [...]
Martin Luther King Memorial quote to be restored
The federal government, in response to criticism over a paraphrased quote engraved on the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial statue, agreed Friday to restore the quote to its original form. ‘Drum major’ quote truncates original intent Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis announced Friday that the truncated [...]
