The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced new measures to safeguard children from serious risks of opioid ingredients contained in some prescription cough and cold products. The FDA will require label changes that limit the use of prescription opioid cough and cold medicines containing codeine or hydrocodone to adults aged 18 years and older. In addition, the agency will require added safety information highlighting the risks of misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose, death, and slowed or difficult breathing to the "boxed warning" on labels of these medicines.
"We are taking this action after conducting an extensive review and convening a panel of outside experts. Both of these determined the risks of slowed or difficult breathing, misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose, and death with these medicines outweigh their benefits in patients younger than 18," the FDA said in a safety…
