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Manufacturers wrestle with drug abuse and shortages Full Text
Pharmaceutical Technology, 06/29/2012
The United States is caught in an epidemic of prescription–drug overuse and abuse, and federal enforcers are revving up forces to counter illegal diversion of approved drugs. Nearly 7 million Americans abuse psychotherapeutic drugs, according to a survey by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and prescription drug abuse now exceeds that of cocaine and heroin. Consequently, manufacturers of opioids and other painkillers, along with prescribers and drug distributors, face increased scrutiny from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and other regulators seeking to monitor drug distribution and prescribing more aggressively.