What is a defining feature of abuse-deterrent opioid formulations?

• A. Formulations that turn into a gel when crushed to prevent injection.
• B. They are non-addictive by design.
• C. They are only used in cancer pain.
• D. They dissolve instantly to deter tampering.

Answer: (A)

The defining idea is tamper resistance to deter misuse of opioids. A formulation that turns into a gel when crushed is a classic mechanism to resist injection: once crushed, the material becomes a viscous gel that is difficult to draw into a syringe, inject, or dose accurately. This makes attempts to abuse the medication via injection much more cumbersome and less appealing, which is the core goal of abuse-deterrent designs.

Some abuse-deterrent strategies go beyond gel formation, such as coatings that resist crushing or multi-component systems that release antagonists if tampered. However, simply dissolving instantly would actually make tampering easier and defeat deterrence, so that choice doesn’t fit the concept. And while abuse-deterrent formulations aim to reduce misuse, they are not inherently non-addictive, and they’re used in many pain indications beyond cancer pain.