What do Four Loko, bath salts, arsenic, "inhalable caffeine," OnStar, and John McCain all have in common? They're all things Sen. Chuck Schumer would love to ban! Now we have something new to add to that illustrious list: Zohydro, a "super painkiller" that is ten times more powerful than Vicodin.
One manufacturer is reportedly on the verge of asking the FDA to approve Zohydro, claiming it’s “safer and more convenient” for treatment of chronic pain. A single extended-release capsule of the drug will contain up to 10 times the amount of hydrocodone as the lowest-dose Vicodin pill.
"It's tremendously concerning that at the same time policy makers and law enforcement professionals are waging a war on the growing prescription drug crisis, new and more powerful super drugs could well be on their way," Schumer said during a news conference in Manhattan today.
“It’s hard to understand why we need yet another powerful opiate drug available,” said Bridget Brennan, the city’s special narcotics prosecutor. “I think the focus should be on non-addictive painkillers.” Lewis Nelson, an emergency medicine doctor and toxicologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, added: “This has the potential to be Oxycontin all over again,” referring to the highly-addictive opiate.
Schumer has previously sought to restrict the number of painkillers doctors may prescribe and increase the penalties for those who steal them. He is particularly worried about demand for this new painkiller sparking more fatal holdups. David Laffer pleaded guilty to killing four people at a Medford, Long Island pharmacy last summer before robbing the store of over 10,000 hydrocodone pills and other prescription drugs; and on New Year's Eve, another Long Island robbery at a pharmacy left the robber and a federal agent dead.
