PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island's attorney general is among those calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make it harder for generic pain pills to be abused.
In a letter sent Monday, Peter Kilmartin and 47 other attorneys general encouraged the FDA to adopt standards requiring manufacturers and marketers of generic prescription painkillers to develop tamper- and abuse-resistant versions of their products. The letter says adding new physical and chemical features to prescription opioids could help deter abuse that can be deadly.
The letter was sent by the National Association of Attorneys General.
Kilmartin says prescription drug abuse presents growing dangers. He says the public can be educated about the problem but that the pharmaceutical industry must do its part to make their products safer.
