Fentanyl prescriptions for complex regional pain will be expedited from Friday

Starting Friday, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) will improve the system to allow doctors to quickly prescribe the narcotic analgesic fentanyl to reduce pain in patients diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) without having to check the patient's medical history of narcotic drug administration.

Previously, this exemption applied only to emergency patients and those with cancer requiring pain relief.

From now on, however, it will also apply to patients with CRPS. The system has also been supplemented to allow prescriptions to be issued without checking the history when a hospitalized patient is discharged or in the event of a computer system failure.

“We sincerely welcome the swift implementation of this system improvement, which will enable about 10,000 CRPS patients to receive prompt fentanyl prescriptions. The future looks brighter for complex regional pain syndrome patients,” said Jeong Jin-hyang, Secretary General of the Korean Organization for Rare Diseases, expressing gratitude for the MFDS's active interest and rapid response to patients with rare and intractable diseases.

The ministry also said, “We expect this will help expand treatment opportunities for patients with complex regional pain syndrome, who are known to suffer from severe pain. We plan to continuously develop and supplement the system so that doctors and patients can prescribe and use fentanyl appropriately and safely.”