Buchanan and Markey plan to reintroduce a bill called the Pill Mill Crackdown Act next week, which also aims to make the medications harder to get.
“Re-classification of hydrocodone combination drugs alone is not enough to end the scourge of prescription drug abuse,” they said, “but regulating these potent painkillers appropriately is a critical step.”
Last week, an FDA advisory panel voted 19-10 to place new restrictions on narcotic painkillers containing hydrocodone.