How will REMS affect people with pain?
While well-intentioned, REMS have the potential to further limit access to opioid pain medication. There is no evidence that several proposed strategies will reduce abuse or misuse of prescription medication. Such strategies may result in people living with pain, not receiving the medications that are most appropriate for their needs. As FDA evaluates risks versus benefits of opioid medication, it is important to recognize that the lives and livelihoods lost to uncontrolled pain are worth no less than those who misuse or abuse prescription medications. Currently, REMS are recommended by the FDA to be required for only for long-acting opioids – not short-acting. This can affect prescribing choices. By making it more difficult for a health care provider to prescribe one class of medication and easier to prescribe another, prescribers may gravitate toward less stringently-regulated products. In some cases where a long-acting opioid could greatly improve a person with pain’s life, they may
