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http://www.npr.org/sections/health-...d-to-deter-abuse-helped-spark-an-hiv-outbreak
The Change To Opana That Was Intended To Prevent Abuse
But the drug's manufacturer, Endo Pharmaceuticals, reformulated Opana in 2012. The new pills featured a coating that was intended to make them more difficult to abuse by crushing them into powder or dissolving them.
Polly discovered he could no longer snort the medicine in the pill, to which he had become addicted. But he and other Opana users soon found a way to remove the drug's hard coating and receive Opana's powerful dose all at once: injection.
Polly says he used to inject Opana as many as five times a day. He often shared needles with other people.
He says he never anticipated what would happen next. In early 2015, Polly tested positive for HIV. "It was devastating news," he says.
Kevin Polly is among the 190 people in Indiana's Scott County who have tested positive for HIV since early 2015, in the largest HIV outbreak in Indiana history.
For its part, Endo has said that its decision to reformulate Opana was a well-intended attempt to prevent abuse. As the company told the Food and Drug Administration in 2012, Endo reformulated the drug "to provide a crush-resistant product, equally as effective as Opana ER, which would discourage abuse, misuse and diversion." Endo declined repeated requests from NPR for an interview.
epidemic of prescription opioid abuse. The FDA and members of Congress have also supported their development. But the experience with Opana's reformulation may serve as a cautionary tale for the potential effects of "abuse deterrent" drugs.
The Change To Opana That Was Intended To Prevent Abuse
But the drug's manufacturer, Endo Pharmaceuticals, reformulated Opana in 2012. The new pills featured a coating that was intended to make them more difficult to abuse by crushing them into powder or dissolving them.
Polly discovered he could no longer snort the medicine in the pill, to which he had become addicted. But he and other Opana users soon found a way to remove the drug's hard coating and receive Opana's powerful dose all at once: injection.
Polly says he used to inject Opana as many as five times a day. He often shared needles with other people.
He says he never anticipated what would happen next. In early 2015, Polly tested positive for HIV. "It was devastating news," he says.
Kevin Polly is among the 190 people in Indiana's Scott County who have tested positive for HIV since early 2015, in the largest HIV outbreak in Indiana history.
For its part, Endo has said that its decision to reformulate Opana was a well-intended attempt to prevent abuse. As the company told the Food and Drug Administration in 2012, Endo reformulated the drug "to provide a crush-resistant product, equally as effective as Opana ER, which would discourage abuse, misuse and diversion." Endo declined repeated requests from NPR for an interview.
epidemic of prescription opioid abuse. The FDA and members of Congress have also supported their development. But the experience with Opana's reformulation may serve as a cautionary tale for the potential effects of "abuse deterrent" drugs.
