Healthcare officials as well as those at the State Welfare Organization have reacted strongly to the distribution of Oxycodone, a strong painkiller, across pharmacies. “Oxycodone is a very strong opioid-based painkiller and should be made available to patients only through hospitals and not supplied to the public through pharmacies as many people, namely addicts, are likely to abuse it,” said Majid Rezazadeh, director of the Prevention and Treatment Department at the SWO, Borna News Agency reported. Officials had previously called for its withdrawal from pharmacy shelves. The industrial drug is addictive and its abuse can cause epilepsy, respiratory distress, and even death when taken in high doses or combined with other substances, such as alcohol. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the drug is available at 200 drugstores across the country.
