Good points!

As to stand-alone availability, your information appears to be correct. According to MedlinePlus:

Hydrocodone is available only in combination with other ingredients, and different combination products are prescribed for different uses. Some hydrocodone products are used to relieve moderate to severe pain. Other hydrocodone products are used to relieve cough. Hydrocodone is in a class of medications called opiate (narcotic) analgesics and in a class of medications called antitussives. Hydrocodone relieves pain by changing the way the brain and nervous system respond to pain. Hydrocodone relieves cough by decreasing activity in the part of the brain that causes coughing.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/d...s/a601006.html

That said, of the approximately 60 combo products that are listed as currently available, one in particular looks like it might fit the bill on a short term basis for people with pain issues who don't need anything stronger: Vicoprofen® (containing Hydrocodone and Ibuprofen) where each tablet only contains 200 mg. of Ibuprofen, basically a single Advil. And even though both products are labelled to the effect that they shouldn't be used for more than 10 days, I know that all of my doctors have seen my list of drugs showing that I take 3 Advil at night, and no one has ever said a word.

And as to why now, I suspect that goes under the heading of "after-marketing reporting." It's sort of like when a friend of mine was being shown around a sub in San Diego and asked why there were all those safety features, to which a naval officer replied "Each one was paid for in blood."

Mike