Opioid addiction warnings being drawn up for changes to drug labelling and packaging after Evening Standard investigation

The changes come in response to the Evening Standard's opioid investigation last year
Matt Writtle

Drug companies will be compelled to put clear and consistent addiction warnings on the packaging of prescription opioid painkillers, under regulations expected to be made by the summer.

An Opioid Expert Working Group, convened by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in response to the Evening Standard’s opioid investigation last year, had their first meeting this week.

They have been mandated to make recommendations for regulatory changes to product labelling and packaging, as well as to assess the wider use and misuse of prescription opioids.

Last year the Standard reported that Britain’s dependency on prescription opioids had risen 80 per cent in 10 years, despite scientific evidence that in 90 per cent of cases they do not relieve chronic pain.

Groundbreaking: our investigation

We also highlighted the fact that none of the five strongest opioids — fentanyl, morphine sulfate, buprenorphine, oxycodone or tramadol — had an explicit addiction warning on its packaging. The Standard argued that a warning was vital.

Professor Jamie Coleman, a consultant clinical pharmacologist at the University of Birmingham and chairman of the working group, told the Standard: “This is critically important public health work.

"We want to ensure that overuse is curbed in the UK and that patients, carers and healthcare professionals are sufficiently warned.

“We have immediately started work to draw on best practice internationally to produce clear and consistent label wording that opioid medicines may lead to addiction.

"We are also looking at changes to the patient information leaflet. I am confident we can make our recommendations for labelling to include some sort of prominent addiction warning by the summer.”

The 16-member group will meet every two months and includes experts in pain management, pharmacy, general practice, nursing, substance abuse, toxicology and geriatric medicine. Recommendations will go to the MHRA and the Department of Health.

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