The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now allowing children as young as 11 years old to use a frequently abused painkiller.

The agency announced last Thursday that children of this age can already be prescribed with the powerful narcotic drug OxyContin when they are experiencing pain "severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment."

Dr. Sharon Hertz, director of new anaesthesia, analgesia and addiction products for the FDA, explained that the agency reached this decision after the manufacturer of the drug, Purdue Pharma, "supported a new paediatric indication for OxyContin in patients 11 to 16 years old and provided prescribers with helpful information about the use of OxyContin in paediatric patients."

Hertz also noted that only limited options for pain relief are available for children.

"Children are not treated with opioids very often and usually it's only for a limited period of time with close supervision by healthcare professionals. Fewer daily doses may free patients for physical therapy appointments, allow them to go home from the hospital sooner and may help them to sleep through the night without waking up," she explained.

Dr. Chris Feudtner, director of the Department of Medical Ethics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, commended the FDA's decision, saying this will be a boon for many of their young patients.

"Although thankfully uncommon, some children can experience prolonged periods of substantial chronic pain from conditions like cancer. For these patients, strong pain medications can offer tremendous relief," Feudtner said.

Some medical practitioners, however, have expressed concern over the FDA's move. Andrew Kolodny, director of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, said prescribing OxyContin to young children may put them at risk for developing an addiction.

Kolodny also said the FDA should have formed an advisory panel to discuss the risks and benefits of OxyContin before allowing it to be prescribed to young children.