Health
Nearly Quarter of People on Long-Acting Opioids Develop Addiction
Tablets of a medically prescribed opioid painkiller delivered on .
Photographer: Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty ImagesMore than one in five people prescribed extended-release painkillers such as OxyContin developed an addiction within a year, according to a newly released study mandated by the US Food and Drug Administration.
The study, repeatedly delayed by more than a decade and released Monday, revealed a far higher percentage of pain patients addicted to opioids than drugmakers’ sales reps claimed in their marketing materials and representations to physicians.