A painkiller at the heart of a opioid epidemic has been taken off the market (ENDP)

pulse

July 6, 2017 5:51 PM

"We are facing an opioid epidemic – a public health crisis, and we must take all necessary steps to reduce the scope of opioid misuse and abuse."

Endo International just took its extended-release opioid painkiller Opana ER (otherwise known as oxymorphone hydrochloride) off the market.

The move comes almost a month after the Food and Drug Administration asked that the drug be removed when it found that the drug's benefits no longer outweighed its risk for abuse.

More than 183,000 people died from overdoses related to prescription over the last 15+ years.

When Opana ER is taken properly orally, it slowly releases into the body as intended. But if the drug is snorted or injected, it releases its dose all at once.

was still easy to inject

The FDA held an advisory committee hearing in March to discuss whether the drug's benefits for pain still outweigh its risks. The panel voted that they did not.

Endo's stock was down more than 2% on Thursday.

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