BY TONI CLARKE

A U.S. advisory panel on Wednesday recommended approval of Pfizer Inc’s long-acting opioid painkiller Troxyca ER, saying it dulls pain and its design could deter abuse by addicts in search of a quick high.

The panel, however, had reservations about the drug’s ability to curb all forms of abuse, voting against a claim that it deters oral abuse while endorsing claims of deterring injecting or snorting the drug.

Troxyca ER contains oxycodone and naltrexone, a drug designed to cancel the effect of oxycodone. When taken as directed, the naltrexone remains hidden and does not diminish the effect of the oxycodone, which is released over time.

 The product is designed to deter addicts from crushing the pellets to release the oxycodone for a quick high. When crushed, the naltrexone is released along with the oxycodone.

The panel concluded that addicts could use certain solvents to extract oxycodone and only limited amounts of naltrexone, though they said it would be harder to take the additional steps needed to snort or inject it.

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