FDA Approves New Highly Powerful Opioid Dsuvia – Was it a Mistake?
There is simply no denying that the United States is in the middle of an opioid crisis. In 2017, the number of deaths involving opioids was just under 50,000. Fifteen years ago, that figure was around 10,000. Now the FDA has come under fire for approving one of the most potent synthetic opioids that has ever been created.
The opioid, created by a company named AcelRx Phamaceuticals, is contained within a product that has been called Dsuvia. The synthetic opioid is known as sufentanil, and Dsuvia contains just 30 micrograms of this potent substance. Dsuvia is five to ten times more powerful than fentanyl, and – incredibly – around one thousand times more potent than morphine.
Dsuvia is Likely the Most Powerful Synthetic Painkiller Ever Produced
Dsuvia is in tablet form, and is designed to dissolve under a patient’s tongue. It is immediately capable of deadening even extreme pain – levels of pain encountered via a gunshot wound or the breaking of a major bone, such as a femur, for example. Dsuvia is designed to be used solely in extreme cases and under strict medical supervision.
Despite Dsuvia’s obvious and potent painkilling abilities, some sources are questioning whether the United States’ painkilling arsenal needed such a powerful opioid, particularly in regards to the opioid mess that the country finds itself embroiled in.
The lone person who voted against the NDA’s approval of Dsuvia was the chair of that very organization’s Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee, Dr. Raeford Brown. In a letter to other members of the FDA, Brown stated his opinion that – like nearly all opioids – Dsuvia will eventually find its way to people who are dealing with an opioid dependency.
Experts Say This New ‘Super Opioid’ Will Only Worsen the Opioid Epidemic
“It is so potent, that abusers of this intravenous formulation often die when they inject the first dose,” said Brown. “I predict that we will encounter diversion, abuse, and death within the early months of its availability on the market.”
Other healthcare experts have expressed their concerns, stating that this new, highly potent form of sufentanil will only serve to worsen the current opioid epidemic.
“Dr. Brown is, rightly, focusing on the potential dangers and consequences of introducing this medication to the market,” said Dr. Gloria Dunkin, medical director of Future Recovery Healthcare in Florida. “We want to avoid more people dying from overdoses. Approving a sublingual tablet of sufentanil has a unique potential to only cause more.”
At Advanced Rapid Detox We Think More Focus Should be Placed on Dealing With the Opioid Epidemic Not Creating New Drugs
At Advanced Rapid Detox, we’ve seen the devastation of the opioid epidemic first hand. We’re weary of a new opioid because we’ve seen many other opioids released by large pharmaceutical companies quickly find their way into the hands of those dealing with an opiate addiction. We hope that the government will continue to dedicate additional resources to the opiate epidemic that we’re dealing with in every major metropolitan area in America as well as the majority of rural areas as well. To learn more about the revolutionary rapid drug detox services we’re providing to our patients, reach out to us today.
