FORT LEE, N.J., March 1 (UPI) -- Alpharma said Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a higher, 200-mg dose of Kadian capsules.
Alpharma also announced that the FDA determined Kadian did not negatively interact with certain levels of alcohol consumption and concluded the black-box warning on the drug's labeling does not need to include precautionary language regarding alcohol.
Alpharma said the new 200-mg strength, which it plans to launch in the second quarter of this year, is intended to assist in physicians' efforts to individualize their patients' treatments by offering more choices in managing their pain.
Kadian, an extended-release morphine-sulfate product, is currently marketed in several dosages, from 20 mg to 100 mg.
