Is an upcoming drug a dangerous one?

The painkiller Vicodin has proven to be a very addictive drug to many. Drug-makers are now working on a similar product said to be 10 times as powerful as Vicodin and some are considering it a dangerous drug.

Four different drug companies are working on developing this highly powerful painkiller, which contains pure hydrocodone, a pain-killing substance that is known to be incredibly addictive. Currently, consumers cannot legally buy pure hydrocodone unless it is mixed with other non-addictive painkillers. Hydrocodone is actually the second-most abused drug in the United States behind oxycodone.

This has experts worried about patients developing addictions to this new painkiller. While it is not available yet, one company hopes to start marketing the product as early as next year.

The drug that is set to hit the market next year is intended to be a time-released one, but experts say that addicts could crush the pills up and ingest them for a quick and intense high.

This is what happened with the popular drug OxyContin, which was once wildly abused. Similar to this new drug, OxyContin, which contains oxycodone, slowly released doses of the drug to help patients manage their pain. Instead, many would crush up the pills, which would therefore cancel out this time-releasing action. Makers of the drug eventually changed the formula for OxyContin to make this less of an option.

Proponents for the new drug say that it helps give doctors additional tools to help manage a patient's pain. By using hydrocodone, proponents also say that the new drug will help patients avoid liver damage that is sometimes common with drugs like Vicodin.

According to these people, pure hydrocodone drugs will be monitored closely and patients will have to visit the doctor in order to refill their supply.

Source: CBS News, "Pain pill stronger than Vicodin concerns experts," December 26, 2011.