In the seventh episode of our series on the national opioid crisis, Erica Jackson discusses efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to address the crisis, while still permitting patient access to effective pain management. Specifically, the episode discusses safety labeling updates, implementation of risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS), changes to education requirements for health care professionals, research on abuse deterrent formulations, further evaluation of product risks and benefits, and other initiatives to improve the access of medication assisted treatment for opioid addiction.

Triage: Rapid Legal Lessons for Busy Health Care Professionals has been created by K&L Gates to convey information about developments in health law through short, five to ten minute podcasts. Catch-up on past episodes by visiting our Triage program page (http://healthcare-triage.klgates-media.libsynpro.com) or subscribe to Triage via your favorite podcast app to have our episodes delivered directly to you as they become available.