Nutra Pharma to introduce 'military-strength' painkiller

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — Nutra Pharma will introduce a stronger version of its OTC pain reliever, the company said Wednesday.

Nutra Pharma — which is developing treatments for such diseases as HIV, multiple sclerosis and adrenomyeloneuropathy — announced the planned introduction of Nyloxin Military Strength in order to combat opiate abuse and overuse of NSAIDs by military personnel.

"Our hope is that with Nyloxin, we can greatly reduce the instances of opiate abuse and overuse of NSAIDs in high-risk groups like the U.S. military," Nutra Pharma chairman and CEO Rik Deitsch said. "Our goal for Nyloxin over the next several years is to be the No. 1 choice that people turn to for chronic pain relief."

The company said that over the past few years, the Department of Defence has reported an increase in the use and abuse of prescription drugs, particularly opiates, and there were nearly 3.8 million prescriptions for pain relievers written in the military, a 400% increase from the number written in 2001. Meanwhile, the terms "Ranger Candy" and "Military Candy" refer to service members said to use 800-mg doses of ibuprofen to control pain, which can put them at risk for organ damage.