Endo Health Solutions Confirms FDA Suit Related to Non-Tamper Resistant Oxymorphone

 Endo Health Solutions Inc. ENDP announced today that its subsidiary, Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., has filed suit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking a formal determination whether the original formulation of OPANA^® ER (oxymorphone HCl) was voluntarily removed from the market in 2012 for reasons of safety involving the misuse of the drug; and FDA's immediate suspension of any abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) for generic versions of non-tamper resistant formulations of extended-release oxymorphone HCl until FDA has made a determination as to whether the original formulation of OPANA ER was withdrawn from sale for safety reasons.  There is currently a non-tamper resistant generic of extended-release oxymorphone available in 7.5mg and 15mg dosage strengths, and if the FDA does not promptly suspend the approval of all non-tamper resistant formulations, all doses of the product will be available in non-tamper resistant versions in January 2013.  Endo reformulated OPANA ER to a version designed to be crush-resistant and launched this reformulated version in March 2012.  Current data monitoring abuse rates show a substantial decrease in abuse since the launch of the reformulated product, while simultaneously showing a more than 122 percent increase in abuse rates of the 7.5mg and 15mg non-tamper resistant extended release oxymorphone HCl.  The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is based on the failure of the FDA to meet its legal obligation to determine in a timely manner whether the old formulation of OPANA ER was withdrawn from the market for reasons of safety.  Since its launch, Endo has collected surveillance data on the rates of abuse of oxymorphone HCl from two national programs – the first includes surveillance of substance abusers and the second collects data from U.S. Poison Control Centers.  The data show a 59 percent drop in abuse rates of the reformulated OPANA ER which is designed to be crush-resistant. The same data demonstrate a 122 percent increase in abuse rates of non-tamper resistant extended-release oxymorphone HCl.