Fearing abuse, FDA blocks generic Oxycontin

Purdue Pharma LP will not have its stranglehold on the OxyContin industry loosened by its patent on the drug expires next week. Usually, cheaper generic versions of a drug flood the market with competitors once a drug patent is up. However, due to the OxyContin’s potential for abuse, the FDA has said that it will not allow any versions of the generic drugs on the market. Purdue has formulated an abuse resistant form of the drug that makes it harder to crush and snort or inject.