Schumers Asks FDA to Reconsider Rules for Generic Oxycodone

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer announced that he is urging the Food and Drug Administration to take steps to prevent a potentially significant increase in violent prescription drug thefts.

He also asked the FDA to look closer at an addiction to a dangerous drug that could be caused by the release of a generic version of oxycodone next month. A generic version of the highly addictive painkiller loses patent protection in April.

There is currently no requirement that generic versions have the “anti-abuse” features currently used in the branded version. The branded versions of the pills turn to gels or chunks when broken, making it impossible to inject or snort the contents.

Currently, the FDA doesn’t require the generic version to have such features, making them vastly more appealing to drug addicts. According to law enforcement, anti-abuse features make the pills far less valuable, and thus less likely to be the target of deadly pharmacy robberies.

Schumer urged the FDA to require the same security features on generic versions of highly addictive painkillers as they do on the branded versions.