NEWPORT, Tenn. — A recently introduced prescription painkiller is being blamed for the deaths of five people in Newport so far this year and the town’s police chief is hoping that public awareness might avert more tragedies.

“We want the public to be aware of the dangers associated with the illegal misuse of this drug,” Newport Police Chief Maurice Shults said.

The drug in question is Opana, a time-released formulation of the narcotic oxymorphone. The medication is similar to better-known long-acting analgesics like Oxycontin and MSContin.

Like those other drugs, Opana is considered safe when it’s not abused but when the tablets are crushed, chewed, or broken they can release a fatal overdose of the drug, he said.

Shults said his agency is not blaming the manufacturer, Endo Pharmaceuticals, for the deaths and stressed that the fatalities appear to be the result of abuse.

“We are saddened by the recent deaths associated with the misuse of this narcotic pain medication and we urge everyone to talk to their children, friends and neighbors about the deadly effects of the misuse of Opana,” Shults said.