An October 9, 2015, article published on the online version of the Wall Street Journal summarizes major positions in the debate surrounding the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision in August to officially approve the use of Oxycontin®, an extended release formulation of oxycodone, for children as young as 11. According to the article, the FDA’s decision has divided the health community into two camps - those who say the FDA’s decision provides guidance to doctors treating children with serious conditions and those who say it will only contribute to the epidemic of painkiller and heroin abuse in the United States (Pain-Pill Guidelines for Children Spark a Fierce Debate).

  

In the months since the FDA’s decision, some elected officials have announced intentions to directly challenge the FDA decision with formal inquiries and legislation. One such legislative example includes a bill put forward by a senator that would require the FDA to consult an advisory committee prior to approving opioid painkillers.

 

Supporters of the FDA’s decision say that it provides guidance to doctors treating children with serious conditions. Up until the decision, doctors have had to rely on adult dosing information when prescribing Oxycontin® to children off label. Supporters also dismiss the critics’ claim that the decision will increase opioid addiction among children because the FDA only approved Oxycontin® for use in children with severe, long-term pain, such as cancer patients or those recovering from major surgery.

 

Cerilliant offers an extensive list of solution Certified Reference Materials for opiates and other drugs used in pain management in addition to their metabolites, impurities, degradants, and stable-labeled internal standards. These drugs of abuse reference standards are suitable for a variety of uses from forensic drug testing, clinical toxicology analysis, and calibrator preparation to urine drug testing, pharmaceutical research, and isotope dilution methods.

 

Opiates are classified as controlled substances. For standards of controlled substances, our USDEA exemptions and TK#s allow laboratories in the US and Canada to order these standards without DEA paperwork. Click on the link below to view our complete listing of opiate Certified Spiking Solutions®: