News Briefs

+ Buchanan urges FDA for title regulations
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, in a Jan. 28 letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, urged the Food and Drug Administration to place tighter controls on prescription painkillers containing the active ingredient hydrocodone.

Buchanan introduced legislation in the last Congress to reclassify hydrocodone combination drugs from a Schedule III to a Schedule II drug, which makes them more difficult to prescribe and obtain.   

“This epidemic has reached such disastrous proportions that fatal drug overdoses now outnumber the total amount of traffic fatalities in this country. Products containing hydrocodone, such as Vicodin and Lortab, are fueling this epidemic,” Buchanan and U.S. Rep. Edward Markey wrote in the letter to Hamburg.

Fifty-eight members of Congress endorsed the legislation, called the Pill Mill Crackdown Act.

Two weeks ago, an FDA advisory panel voted 19-10 to place new restrictions on narcotic painkillers containing hydrocodone. The FDA is expected to review the recommendation in the coming months.

+ Manatee County releases school calendar
Manatee County Schools released a proposed school calendar for the 2013-14 school year Jan. 30.
Classes would start Aug. 19, 2013, and end June 9, 2014.

Notices and copies of the draft calendar are being distributed with information about how to provide input.
Information about the proposed calendar is also posted on the front page of the Manatee School District’s website under “Hot Topics.”

The public can send input on the calendar via email to [email protected], or contact Mike Wilder, the district’s coordinator of school leadership development, at 708-8770, Ext. 2247.

The input will be given to interim Superintendent Dr. David Gayler.

Meetings & Agendas
• Manatee County Board of County Commissioners Land Use Meeting — 9 a.m. Feb. 7, at the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton
• Manatee County School Board Superintendent Candidate Interviews — 8:30 a.m. Feb. 11, at the Board Room of the School Support Center, 215 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton
• Manatee County School Board Superintendent Candidate One-on-One interviews — 8 a.m. Feb. 12, at the Board Room of the School Support Center, 215 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton
• Manatee County Board of County Commissioners Regular Meeting — 9 a.m. Feb. 12, at the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton
• Manatee County School Board Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting: Superintendent Search — 5 p.m. Feb. 13, at the Professional Support Center, 2501 63rd Ave. E., Bradenton
• Manatee Technical Institute Dedication Ceremony — 3 p.m. Feb. 14, at State Road 70 and Caruso Road, Bradenton