Changes on horizon for hydrocodone drugs

Changes on horizon for hydrocodone drugs

Could Vicodin soon be a Schedule II drug? The answer may be yes depending on congressional action this summer. The U.S. Senate recently passed The FDA Safety and Innovation Act (S 3187) with an amendment to classify all hydrocodone-containing products from Schedule III to Schedule II. The House of Representative's version of the bill did not contain similar language, and the proposal is under consideration for the final bill to be sent to the President for signature later this summer. Meanwhile, lawmakers in New York are moving forward with legislation that would make all hydrocodone-containing drugs Schedule II. If enacted, these laws would categorize hydrocodone containing drugs, such as Vicodin and Norco, in the same group with morphine, oxycodone, and methadone. Schedule II drugs cannot be phoned in, and patients are required to receive a new prescription for each refill. The proposed tightened regulations are in response to the explosion of prescription opioid abuse nationwide. Meanwhile, pharmacy groups, such as the American Pharmacists Association, are opposed to the legislation and are actively lobbying against it, arguing that it is unnecessarily restrictive to patients who legitimately need access to these drugs.