hydrocodone abuse

FDA Panel Votes for Tighter Controls on Vicodin

By Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Published: January 25, 2013

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- An FDA advisory committee voted 19 to 10 on Friday in favor of moving hydrocodone combination drugs such as Vicodin, Lortab, and Norco into the more restrictive schedule II category of controlled substances.

The majority of panelists involved in the 2-day hearing believe the evidence suggests that the drugs are pharmacologically similar to and as susceptible to abuse as other opioids, such as oxycodone combination drugs like Percocet, that fall into the more tightly regulated class.

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Looking at the Numbers

Currently, hydrocodone products are the most widely prescribed agents in the U.S., accounting for 131 million prescriptions for 47 million patients in 2011./.../