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FDA Approves Anti-Abuse Narcotic
The FDA has approved an abuse-resistant version of oxycodone, Targiniq ER.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved an extended-release/long-acting opioid analgesic designed to deter abuse if crushed. When crushed and inhaled or dissolved and injected, naloxone in the oxycodone-containing drug blocks its euphoric effects.
Targiniq ER is approved to treat severe pain that requires daily long-term opioid treatment and because other medications have not resolved the pain.
The drug can still be abused if taken by mouth, the FDA points out, and overdose can be fatal. options are inadequate. The drug is not approved for occasional, as-needed pain relief. Its most common side effects are nausea and vomiting.
(See also: FDA Answers Critics About Extended-Release Hydrocodone Approval)
