Despite voices of criticism, the FDA has opted to approve AcelRX’s Dsuvia (sufentanil), an opioid medication said to be five to ten times stronger than fentanyl, for the management of severe, acute pain at a time when the US teeters amidst an addiction epidemic which has claimed the lives of over 71,000 throughout 2017.
The approval decision comes after an advisory committee voted 10-3 in favour of recommending the drug, despite an FDA staff report released prior to the vote questioning its therapeutic benefit compared to other available treatments.
