Oxycodone/paracetamol

Oxycodone/paracetamol, sold under the brand name Percocet among others, is a fixed-dose combination of the opioid oxycodone with paracetamol (acetaminophen), used to treat moderate to severe pain.

In 2021, it was the 75th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 8million prescriptions.

History
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved Percocet in 1976, under application ANDA 085106.

Implicated in deaths
In June 2009, an FDA advisory panel recommended that Percocet, Vicodin, and every other combination of acetaminophen with narcotic analgesics be limited in their sales because of their contributions to an alleged 400 acetaminophen-related deaths in the U.S. each year, that were attributed to acetaminophen overdose and associated liver damage.

In December 2009, the Canadian Medical Association Journal reported a study finding a fivefold increase in oxycodone-related deaths in Ontario (mostly accidental) between 1991 and 2007 that led to a doubling of all opioid-related deaths in Ontario over the same period.

In March 2017, US President Donald Trump initiated the Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission. In July 2017, a draft report was published.