Approval of Powerful New Opioid Raises Questions

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has come under fire for its approval this month of Dsuvia, an opioid that is estimated to be 1,000 times more potent than morphine and up to 10 times stronger than fentanyl. Dsuvia is a 30-microgram sufentanil tablet that is administered sublingually, or under the tongue, by a single-dose, pre-filled applicator. It is intended to treat moderate to severe acute pain in a medically supervised setting, such as an emergency room. Drug maker AcelRx Pharmaceuticals said it expects to launch Dsuvia in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2019. The wholesale price w...