Opioid Painkiller By Pfizer Can Be Abused, FDA Warns

An experimental opioid painkiller manufactured by Pfizer can be abused, warns the US Food and Drug Administration. The drug, which has a proposed trade name of Troxyca ER, contains commonly used opiod called the oxycodone.

There is an abuse deterrence mechanism in place -the naltrexone. Inside these drug product pellets are naltrexone so that when the pellets are crushed,  the naltrexone is released to fight the effects of oxycodone. 

However, according to the FDA, the problem lies with the fact that oxycodone can be extracted from the pellets selectively by those determined to do so. There are certain methods to do so. There are even common solvents that can be used to remove naltrexone selectively after the pellets are crushed, Reuters reported. 

The FDA published their findings on their website on Monday, in preparation for a June 8 meeting with outside experts. The meeting is designed to actually discuss whether this drug can be approved and recommended. The outside experts can make advice baed on the discussions but the agency is not required to follow through, whatever the advice will be. 

The discussion is timely especially since prescription opiod abuse and its dire effects have reached epidemic proportions in the country. Moreover, there are problems associated with opioid painkillers in general.

According to Bangor Daily news, deaths because of opioid overdose have urged, which encompasses both those prescribed for pain as well as those for treating opioid addiction. The number of deaths due to opioid overdose have even surpassed the number for motor vehicular accidents. In 2014, at least 47,000 deaths have been recorded to be due to opioid overdose. 

There were even reports last week that claimed legendary musician Prince died in April because of an accidental overdose of the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

Those who make the prescriptions are not even mandated to undergo training. With little oversight, overdose and abuse naturally occur.