This powerful opioid-based painkiller is called Hysingla ER, and the ER stands for “Extended Release”. That said, it’s a narcotic that is to provide pain relief, while releasing a certain portion of hydrocodone over a 24-hour period. And moreover, the production of this drug appears to be in response to averting the rise in prescription drug abuse, overdose and deaths related to such opioid-based painkiller drugs. Here’s an article from the site Los Angeles Times that discusses the FDA approval of this new painkiller drug in more detail.
FDA Approves New Opioid Painkiller Said To Last 24 Hours
Federal regulators gave the green light to a once-a-day opioid pain-relief pill that is up to 24 times more powerful than a single Vicodin but is designed to thwart the immediate release of its full — and potentially lethal — payload.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Hysingla ER, an extended-release form of the widely prescribed hydrocodone, comes amid controversy over the proliferation of powerful narcotic painkillers in the face of an epidemic of addiction and overdose.
The maximum dose of Hysingla packs 120 milligrams of hydrocodone, the opioid analgesic contained in Vicodin, which is sold in 5- to 10-milligram doses. But when taken as directed, the new pill releases its medicine over 24 hours.”
What’s your reaction after reading the article from the Los Angeles Times? Do you think the U.S. is trying to avert this “epidemic” of abuse, misuse and death related to the overabundance of powerful opioid-based painkiller drugs, or just adding fuel to the fire? I suppose time will tell how this new FDA approved painkiller drug will fare.
