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IPFS News Link • Drugs and Medications

Abuse-Deterrent Opioids and the Law of Unintended Consequences

• https://www.cato.org, By Jeffrey A. Singer

Nonmedical users and abusers often obtain prescription opioids diverted from the legal to the illegal market. In the hope of reducing opioid use, abuse, and overdoses, policymakers have focused on developing and promoting tamper-resistant or abuse-deterrent formulations (ADFs) that render diverted opioids unusable if individuals attempt to use them for nonmedical (i.e., recreational) purposes.

Although the benefits of ADFs seem to be nonexistent, these formulations have led to real harms. ADFs have encouraged users to switch to more dangerous opioids, including illegal heroin. In at least one instance, the reformulation of a prescription opioid led to a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) outbreak. Along the way, ADFs unnecessarily increase drug prices, imposing unnecessary costs on health insurance purchasers, taxpayers, and particularly patients suffering from chronic pain.


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