Oxycodone (OxyContin) is an opioid, very similar to codeine. It is used for managing moderate to severe acute or chronic pain.
However it has increasingly become a recreational drug worldwide.
In the UK it is a Class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. There is a high risk of addiction with this and other opioids, and there have been a large number of deaths associated with its use.
Attention has been drawn to donations made by the Sackler family - owners of the manufacturer Purdue Pharma - to various art museums (Guggenheim in New York, Tate Modern in London) and pressure has developed to reject this sponsorship. In May 2023, Oxford University removed the Sackler name from one of its libraries.
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Oxycodone's IUPAC name is
(5R,9R,13S,14S)-
4,5a-Epoxy -
14-hydroxy-
3-methoxy-
17-methyl
morphinan-
6-one.