Masto, other AGs, oppose FDA drug approval

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto is joining with colleagues around the nation in urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reconsider its approval of a potent painkiller.

Masto says the drug called Zohydro ER is reportedly 10 times more potent that other hydrocodone products. It was approved by the FDA in October.

In a letter to the FDA sent Tuesday, the attorneys general say the drug’s approval came without clear guidance on how the drug should be prescribed.

They fear it will lead to overzealous pharmaceutical sales, over prescribing by doctors and abuse by patients resulting in a nationwide prescription drug epidemic and possible deaths.