The drug is called Targiniq ER and it is an extended release form which combines oxycodone hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride. In order to combat prescription painkiller abuse the latest oxycodone formula is only approved for patients who have severe pain around the clock, and who have tried other available therapies and medications with no results. There are some critics of the new formula though, and these professionals point out that anyone with an addiction to opiate drugs can circumvent the purpose by simply taking more pills and swallowing them whole instead of breaking them up or dissolving them.
Naloxone hydrochloride, the second component of the new oxycodone formulation, is a drug that eliminates the euphoric effect that precription painkiller abuse can provide. An individual with an addiction to opiate drugs who tries to crush the pill or dissolve it in order to snort or inject the drug will activate the naloxone component and the user will not get the expected high. This does not mean that the new formula is not dangerous though, and it will still be of interest to those who have an addiction to opiate drugs because when the pills are swallowed whole they still provide the high that users want when they have a problem with prescription painkiller abuse. If too many pills are taken the individual may overdose and die.
