Citing Public Health Consequences, Endo International Will Pull Long-Acting Opioid, Opana ER

​Endo International has decided to pull its long-acting opioid painkiller, Opana ER (oxymorphone hydrochloride), from the U.S. market, stating that its benefits are not worth the risk to public health, according to a July 7, 2017, article on CNN.com. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called for the drug to be removed in June 2017 under the same reasoning. It was the first time FDA has made this determination about an opioid. Opana ER, which the article said is twice as powerful as OxyContin (oxycodone), was approved in 2006. It was intended to manage moderate to severe pain over a long period with one pill.