Reckitt Benckiser to Halt Sales of Heroin Replacement Tablets in US

British consumer goods company Reckitt Benckiser announced that it will be taking a voluntary decision to stop the sales of its heroin replacement tablets in the US following a new study which revealed that the tablets are more likely to be accidentally consumed by young children. The heroin replacement tablets, known as suboxone, forms a lucrative slice of the company’s profit with analysts suggesting that it generates around 20 percent of Reckitt’s operating profit.

However a recent report from American Association of Poison Control Centers showed that young children were more 8.5 times likely to accidentally take the drug rather than used for alternative treatment.

Reckitt said that doctors should encourage their patients to take a new drug which also delivers the same amount of suboxone, but is child resistant as it allows access to just one tablet at a time. The company has dismissed reports that the step was taken to give more prominence to its patented product instead of the suboxone tablets that are not patented.


Source-Medindia