opana

The Food and Drug Administration says abuse of the painkiller Opana ER has fueled an outbreak of HIV, hepatitis C and a serious blood disorder, though it was reformulated to try to reduce abuse.

Opana ER has been linked to an HIV outbreak in rural Indiana among people who abuse the opioid painkiller. An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration says the drug is too risky.

When a special coating was added to the opioid Opana, it deterred people from abusing the pills by crushing and snorting them. But some users soon learned how to prepare the pills for injection.