Opioid medicines in the UK will now carry warnings on labels

The health secretary in the UK announced that all opioid medicines will now carry prominent warnings on their labels saying they can cause addiction. The decision came after figures in England and Wales revealed a-more-than 60% increase in prescriptions for opioid painkillers in the last decade. Health experts have welcomed the move, saying opioids can cause "life-altering and sometimes fatal addictions". The Department of Health said that opioids, such as morphine or fentanyl, are derived from opium and can be highly effective for managing severe pain but they can also be highly addictive.