FDA panel recommends approving Collegium's painkiller

• Collegium Pharmaceutical's (NASDAQ:COLL) Xtampza opioid painkiller moves closer to approval after a panel of outside advisers to the FDA vote unanimously in favor of the drug.
• The advisory panel's vote departed from a recommendation by FDA staff, which had said if the drug was taken without food, it could lead to insufficient pain control, which in turn could contribute to overdosing and misuse.
• Today's vote could provide a boost for other companies developing abuse-deterrent version of painkillers, such as Pernix Therapeutics (NYSEMKT:PTX), Egalet (OTC:EGLT), KemPharm (NASDAQ:KMPH), IntelliPharmaCeutics (NASDAQ:IPCI), Pain Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTIE) and Acura Pharma (OTC:ACUR).