---
title: "Psych News Alert: Drug Companies Ready Purer Form of Highly Abused Opioid"
description: Hydrocodone is currently the second-most-abused medication in the United States, according to a December 26 Associated Press report, and eff...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/pills%20and%20bottle_32952331-Jun-24-2025-06-06-26-4797-PM.jpg
---

 12/27/11 12:00 AM

# Drug Companies Ready Purer Form of Highly Abused Opioid

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

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Hydrocodone is currently the second-most-abused medication in the United States, according to a December 26 Associated Press report, and efforts underway by four pharmaceutical firms to introduce a stronger formulation of the drug could increase its potential for misuse. While the drug companies maintain that uncut hydrocodone will limit the dangers associated with such commonly used painkiller fillers as acetaminophen, experts in the substance-abuse arena have expressed major concerns about the availability of a medication that is up to 10 times more powerful than Vicodin and other powerful opioid pain pills, said the AP, which* *noted that the drug company Zogenix has indicated that it plans to apply for the marketing of a time-released version of the medication in the first half of 2012. Read more about the risks associated with prescribing opioids to treat pain in *[Psychiatric News](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=108699)*.

(Image: SerialCoder /Shutterstock.com)

[opioid abuse](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/opioid-abuse), [hydrocodone](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/hydrocodone)

## Related posts

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/pill-warning-Jun-24-2025-03-41-04-2576-PM.gif?height=200&name=pill-warning-Jun-24-2025-03-41-04-2576-PM.gif) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/07/army-finds-it-part-of-opioid-abuse.html)

[drug abuse](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/drug-abuse), [opioid abuse](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/opioid-abuse), [pain medication](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/pain-medication), [military](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/military)

## [Army Finds It's Part of Opioid-Abuse Epidemic](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/07/army-finds-it-part-of-opioid-abuse.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 7/12/11 12:00 AM

Scott Rothstein/Shutterstock  Government and private surveys over the last few years have...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/07/army-finds-it-part-of-opioid-abuse.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/rx_sideoff-Jun-24-2025-04-14-24-0619-PM.jpg?height=200&name=rx_sideoff-Jun-24-2025-04-14-24-0619-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/04/national-medication-take-back-day.html)

[opioid abuse](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/opioid-abuse), [pain medication](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/pain-medication)

## [National Medication Take Back Day Tomorrow](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/04/national-medication-take-back-day.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 4/29/11 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/04/national-medication-take-back-day.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/pills_64481398-Jun-24-2025-07-20-17-1606-PM.jpg?height=200&name=pills_64481398-Jun-24-2025-07-20-17-1606-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/06/nonmedical-use-of-prescription.html)

[opioid pain relievers](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/opioid-pain-relievers), [nsduh](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/nsduh), [prescription painkiller abuse](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/prescription-painkiller-abuse)

## [Nonmedical Use of Prescription Painkillers Continues to Rise](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/06/nonmedical-use-of-prescription.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 6/27/12 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/06/nonmedical-use-of-prescription.html)

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