Everyone knows opioid painkillers have been in the news for quite some time, as these drugs have been found to be highly addictive and abused. Recently it was announced that Endo would pull Opana ER from the market after the FDA asked the pharmaceutical manufacturer to pull the drug about 30 days ago.
Opana ER, or oxymorphone hydrochloride, is reported to be approximately twice as powerful as OxyContin, according to reports, which said the drugmaker had worked for years to fight abuse and misuse of its drugs.
While Endo believes in the safety and efficacy of the drug, which was developed in an effort to help patients manage moderate to severe pain with a single pill over long periods, addicts have reportedly began crushing the pills in order to experience an extreme high. When Endo began manufacturing the pills with a coating, making them more difficult to crush, and altered the formula five years ago, people began injecting Opana ER according to statements by the FDA.
In 2016 the company sold $158.9 million worth of the drug, and reported earnings of $35.7 million during the first quarter of 2017. Reports say doctors and patients will have the opportunity to find treatments to replace Opana ER while the FDA and Endo work to develop a timeline for removing the drug from the market.
In 2015 more than 33,000 individuals died as a result of opioid overdose, according to the CDC. Opioid drugs produce a feeling of euphoria in many patients who use the drugs to relieve pain, making them highly addictive for some patients.
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