Oxycodone/paracetamol

"Percocet" and "Percs" redirect here. For the band, see Percocettes. For the supercomputer technology, see PERCS. For the cleaning chemical PERC, see tetrachloroethylene.

Oxycodone/paracetamol, sold under the brand name Percocet among others,^[2] is a fixed-dose combination of the opioid oxycodone with paracetamol (acetaminophen), used to treat moderate to severe pain.^[1]

Oxycodone/paracetamol

Combination of
Oxycodone	Opioid analgesic
Acetaminophen	Anilide analgesic
Clinical data
Trade names	Percocet, others
AHFS/Drugs.com	acetaminophen-and-oxycodone Professional Drug Facts
License data	US DailyMed: Oxycodone hydrochloride and acetaminophen
Routes of administration	By mouth
ATC code	N02AJ17 (WHO)
Legal status
Legal status	US: Schedule II[1]
Identifiers
CAS Number	330988-72-2 Y
ChemSpider	4881971 Y
KEGG	D02153
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID10186763
NY (what is this?)  (verify)

In 2022, it was the 98th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 6 million prescriptions.^[3][4]

History

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved oxycodone/paracetamol in 1976, under application ANDA 085106.^[5]

Society and culture

Implicated in deaths

In June 2009, an FDA advisory panel recommended that Percocet, Vicodin, and every other combination of acetaminophen with narcotic analgesics^[6] 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.^[7]

In December 2009, a study found a fivefold increase in oxycodone-related deaths in Ontario, Canada (mostly accidental) between 1991 and 2007 that led to a doubling of all opioid-related deaths in Ontario over the same period.^[8][9][10]

References

1. "Percocet- oxycodone hydrochloride and acetaminophen tablet". DailyMed. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
2. "Oxycodone / Acetaminophen: Uses, Dosage & More". Drugs.com. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
3. "The Top 300 of 2022". ClinCalc. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
4. "Acetaminophen; Oxycodone Drug Usage Statistics, United States, 2013 - 2022". ClinCalc. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
5. "Percocet: FDA-Approved Drugs". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Retrieved 17 October 2021.
6. "FDA May Restrict Acetaminophen". WebMD.
7. Harris G (30 June 2009). "Ban Is Advised on 2 Top Pills for Pain Relief". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
8. Dhalla IA, Mamdani MM, Sivilotti ML, Kopp A, Qureshi O, Juurlink DN (December 2009). "Prescribing of opioid analgesics and related mortality before and after the introduction of long-acting oxycodone". CMAJ. 181 (12): 891–6. doi:10.1503/cmaj.090784. PMC 2789126. PMID 19969578.
9. Fischer B, Rehm J (December 2009). "Deaths related to the use of prescription opioids". CMAJ. 181 (12): 881–2. doi:10.1503/cmaj.091791. PMC 2789122. PMID 19969577.
10. "Deaths from opioid use have doubled; five-fold increase in oxycodone deaths". Canadian Medical Association Journal. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2012.