All opioid medicines in the UK will now feature prominent labels warning of addiction risks, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced. The move comes after figures revealed a more than 60% increase in opioid prescriptions in England and Wales over the past decade, rising from 14 million in 2008 to 23 million last year.
Mr Hancock expressed concern over the rise in opioid addiction, stating that while painkillers are important for managing pain, they must be treated with caution. He warned that some opioids are highly addictive and can ruin lives, and that action is needed to protect people from the darker side of painkillers.
Opioids such as morphine and fentanyl are effective for severe pain but can be highly addictive, according to the Department of Health. Even weaker over-the-counter codeine-based painkillers can cause addiction. Codeine-related deaths in England and Wales have more than doubled from 2008 to 2018, exceeding 150 annually.
Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Dame Sally Davies, welcomed the government action. Health experts also backed the move, warning that opioids can cause life-altering and sometimes fatal addictions.
