Generic Painkillers Pose Threat in Addiction Fight

WKMS | By The Associated Press,

Whitney Jones

Published December 17, 2012 at 8:18 AM CST

Kentucky officials say curtailing prescription-pill abuse will suffer a major setback if a wave of generic painkillers reaches the market without safeguards. OxyContin and Opana ER patents are set to expire next year allowing for generic versions of the powerful drugs. The brand-name painkillers were popular sources for abusers until tamper-resistant formulas were added. Some worry the cheaper generic versions won’t feature the same form of abuse deterrence. Without that, they could quickly become the drugs of choice for abusers in a state where more people die from drug overdoses than car wrecks.

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Whitney Jones

Whitney grew up listening to Car Talk to and from her family’s beach vacation each year, but it wasn’t until a friend introduced her to This American Life that radio really grabbed her attention. She is a recent graduate from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., where she studied journalism. When she’s not at WKMS, you can find her working on her backyard compost pile and garden, getting lost on her bicycle or crocheting one massive blanket.

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