The FDA announced several new strategies today to better inform medical professionals and patients about the risks associated with opioid use.

Strategies include expanding the agency’s Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) to include immediate-release opioid analgesics intended for use in an outpatient setting; approving an updated “FDA Opioid Analgesic REMS Education Blueprint for Health Care Providers Involved in the Treatment and Monitoring of Patients with Pain;” and giving the go-ahead to new safety labeling changes for all opioid analgesic products intended for use in an outpatient setting.