Powerful painkiller without abuse protections approved using controversial …
In addition, the first hydrocodone-only opioid Zohydro, approved by an FDA panel vote of 11 to 2 in late October, is manufactured by the same company, Alkermes, that makes the popular medication Vivitrol used to treat addiction to painkillers and alcohol.
Read more on RT (blog)

Addiction Specialists Wary of New Painkiller
Addiction experts protested loudly when the Food and Drug Administration approved a powerful new opioid painkiller last month, saying that it would set off a wave of abuse much as OxyContin did when it first appeared.
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Heroin addiction often starts with painkillers, parents told
Many of today's heroin addicts start their addiction with opiate-based painkillers, prescribed by doctors following sports injuries or auto crashes, said Bartlett Police Chief Kent Williams. With DuPage County's 38 heroin overdose deaths so far this …
Read more on Elgin Courier News