The FDA recently voted in favor of pushing a new formulation of oxycodone hydrochloride for approval. The new OxyContin formula is more difficult to crush or dissolve which will hopefully make it harder to be used as a drug of abuse . The FDA recommended that Purdue Pharma's application for a new, resin-coated formulation should replace the original version, which has been on the market since 1996. Randall Flick, MD, an anesthesiologist at the Mayo Clinic who voted to recommend approval of the drug said, "Clearly the old formulation is worse than the new, although I think the difference is relatively small," Flick concluded, "Hardcore abusers are likely to devise new ways to break down the harder tablet or figure out which solvents will dissolve it fastest, within 'day or weeks' of the product's release on the market."
Coomera District police assisted by State officers conducted over 100 random breath tests during a recent traffic sting near Brisbane this past weekend. Aussie police concluded "Operation Astaire" with charges stemming from possession and supplying dangerous drugs to minor vehicle infractions. A female truck driver tested positive for cannabis and amphetamines after being pulled over by officers. Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Procter said, "The operation highlighted the efficiencies of random drug testing."