OxyContin

American  

[ahk-see-kahn-tn, ahk-see-kahn-tn] / ˌɑk siˈkɑn tn, ˈɑk siˌkɑn tn /

Pharmacology, Trademark.

1. a brand of oxycodone.

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OxyContin British  

/ ˌɒksɪˈkɒntɪn /

noun

1. an opiate drug, oxycodone hydrochloride, used as a painkiller and, illegally, as an alternative to heroin

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Etymology

Origin of OxyContin

First recorded in 1990–95; oxy- ² ( def. ) + contin(uous) ( def. ), perhaps after the controlled-release nature of the drug

Example Sentences

The Supreme Court in 2024 narrowed bankruptcy courts’ authority to shield such nonbankrupt third parties from lawsuits when it ruled against a chapter 11 plan from OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma.

From The Wall Street Journal

For years, pharmaceutical companies steered expensive prescription pain medications, such as the opioid Oxycontin, as well as the most effective medications for opioid-use disorder, to white Americans with good access to healthcare, she said.

From Los Angeles Times

“Sugar-Coated Pill,” which includes an OxyContin plush toy and a photograph of Adolf Hitler bending down to feed a baby deer, examines the way cuteness can be used to soften or disguise the ugly.

From New York Times

Soon, the Sackler Trust — a British nonprofit set up by members of the family that once owned Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of the addictive painkiller OxyContin — announced it would pause all new philanthropic giving, and its donations fell dramatically.

From New York Times

In 1995, the Food and Drug Administration approved OxyContin, a time-release version of the painkiller oxycodone.

From Los Angeles Times