The FDA plans to convene an expert panel to examine the population-level effects of treating opioid addiction with medication in hopes of gaining wider acceptance of and insurance coverage for those medications.

During a late October hearing, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, told the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that preventing opioid addiction isn鈥檛 enough, given the current scope of the crisis. 鈥淲e must also help those who are suffering from addiction by expanding access to lifesaving treatment,鈥� Gottlieb said in prepared .

鈥淯nfortunately, far too few people who are addicted to opioids are offered an adequate chance for treatment that uses medications,鈥� he added, noting that insurance coverage often is insufficient.