Current medical research and opinion
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Patients with chronic pain may experience difficulty swallowing, in part due to worsening disease, comorbid conditions, iatrogenic etiology, or age. Patients or caregivers may manipulate extended-release (ER) opioid formulations to facilitate oral dosing due to a lack of therapeutic options that allow for sprinkle or enteral feeding tube administration. If crushed or broken, current oral ER opioids can be associated with adverse sequelae, including risk of potentially fatal overdose. ⋯ Oxycodone DETERx is the first ER oxycodone formulation that can be administered either intact, sprinkled onto soft foods, or via NG/G tubes, thereby providing options for treating pain in patients who have difficulty swallowing.