Indiana Attorney General Calls on Other Attorneys General to Block Zohydro Sales

Prescription painkiller abuse has become epidemic in the United States, and in response, Indiana’s Attorney General has called on other attorneys general across the country to block sales of a powerful new prescription painkiller, Zohydro.

Last month, the FDA approved the incredibly strong prescription painkiller, which critics worry is so strong it could negate any headway made in the war against prescription painkiller abuse.

“In the midst of a severe drug epidemic fueled by overprescribing of opioids, the very last thing the country needs is a new, dangerous, high-dose opioid,” the coalition wrote in a letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg. “Too many people have already become addicted to similar opioid medications, and too many lives have been lost.”

“It’s a whopping dose of hydrocodone packed in an easy-to-crush capsule,” said Dr. Andrew Kolodny, president of the advocacy group Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing. “It will kill people as soon as it’s released.”

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller issued a call on Wednesday, March 26th, to other states to help him overturn the FDA’s approval of the powerful prescription painkiller. Attorneys general from Illinois, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and Maine have joined Zoeller in asking the US Department of Health and Human Services to rescind Zohydro’s approval.

“Zohydro does not contain any abuse-deterrent properties, which means there is a high potential for users to crush, snort or inject this powerful drug,” Zoeller said in a news release.

The FDA approved the drug in October 2013, despite its own advisory committee voting against the drug’s approval.

In Indiana, 718 people died due to prescription painkiller abuse in 2011, which was a 10% increase in prescription painkiller deaths since 2010.

FDA Chief Defends Zohydro Despite Public and Lawmaker Concerns

In the face of the new potential legislation, FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg defended the FDA’s choice to approve Zohydro.

Dr. Hamburg told Senators that the painkiller fills an “important and unique niche” to treat chronic pain.  She said that, because the drug is just hydrocodone and nothing else, there is much less potential for liver failure related to taking the pain medication. Other opioid pain painkillers, when taken regularly at high doses, increase the risk of liver toxicity or failure as a side effect.

Hamburg added that tamper-resistant ingredients are also in the early stages of development. To date, the agency has only approved one medication with such features – OxyContin, a strong but popular opioid painkiller prescribed to treat a variety of chronic pain.

“It doesn’t do any good to label something as abuse deterrent if it isn’t actually abuse deterrent, and right now, unfortunately, the technology is poor,” Hamburg said.

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Charges of Prescription Painkiller Abuse

If you have received criminal drug abuse charges, or are suspected of abusing prescription painkillers, you are not automatically guilty, and you do not give up any of your rights. The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help defend you. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case. Do not let criminal drug charges such as trafficking or possession ruin your reputation and career prospects. Contact us today. 803.252.4800.