Professional Pharmacists Australia has called for The Guild to join its call for only tamper-proof oxycodone to be available in Australia, on reports that “hillbilly heroin” could flood the market.

Monday, 2 June 2014

A patent on the tamperproof version of a high-dose form of the powerful painkiller is due to expire in July. The tamper-proof version, introduced in April, was designed to eliminate the black market use of the drug.  However the federal government has approved a generic form of the high-dose version from August that uses the old non-tamper proof formula.

Professional Pharmacists Australia CEO Chris Walton raised concerns about the safety of community pharmacists if the high-dose non tamper-proof version is available.

“Professional Pharmacists Australia calls on The Pharmacy Guild to join us in lobbying the government to stop this and only allow tamper-proof oxycodone.

“In the interests of the safety of pharmacists, and community health generally, we believe that only tamper-resistant formula oxycodone should be available in Australia.

“Should the old version of OxyContin once again become available this would not only place pharmacists at risk in their workplaces, but once again lead to a rise in the abuse of pain killers in the community.

“The incidence of pharmacists being threatened by patients looking to obtain OxyContin have been well documented and constitute a threat to not only pharmacists but other patients seeking access to the vital services provide them by community pharmacy.

“We believe that it is in the overwhelming interest of the public, patients and working pharmacists that tamper-resistant oxycodone be the only version of this drug available in Australia.