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Lofexidine: Less than meets the eye
Author(s) -
Price Lawrence H.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the brown university psychopharmacology update
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7532
pISSN - 1068-5308
DOI - 10.1002/pu.30355
Subject(s) - food and drug administration , context (archaeology) , medicine , opioid , speculation , administration (probate law) , advertising , pharmacology , business , law , political science , finance , paleontology , receptor , biology
This month's issue of The Update includes coverage of the press release issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 16 announcing approval of lofexidine as “the first non‐opioid treatment for management of opioid withdrawal symptoms in adults” (see page 8). The announcement drew widespread media coverage that, while not abysmal, was seriously deficient in failing to provide context. But that deficiency followed directly from the way in which the FDA phrased its announcement. So here is some context, as well as some speculation as to what the FDA might have been up to.