Oxymorphone, sold under the brand names Numorphan among others, is a powerful semi-synthetic opioid analgesic (painkiller) developed in Germany in 1914. Pain relief after injection begins after about 5–10 minutes and 15–30 minutes after rectal administration, and lasts about 3–4 hours for immediate-release tablets and 12 hours for extended-release tablets.It is highly addictive and in June 2017 the FDA asked the manufacturer to remove its product from the US market. This was in part due to the opioid epidemic in the US, and the fact that the 2012 reformulation led to a shift in the route of abuse from nasal to injection. It was the first time in the history of the agency, that the FDA had made a request for removal regarding a product currently on the market. In response, by July 2017, Endo International voluntarily removed Opana ER from the market. Generic versions of extended release oxymorphone are still available for prescription use in the US.