Drug Companies Ready Purer Form of Highly Abused Opioid

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.

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