A 333 Pill: What Is It?

Oxycodone/acetaminophen 10/325mg — white oblong tablet — Actavis (Teva)

Identifying the A 333 Pill

The imprint A 333 is stamped on a white, oblong (capsule-shaped) tablet containing oxycodone hydrochloride 10mg and acetaminophen 325mg. This medication is manufactured by Actavis Pharma, which became part of Teva Pharmaceuticals following Allergan's acquisition by AbbVie and a series of complex corporate transactions. The "A" in the imprint originally identified Actavis as the manufacturer.

The A 333 tablet is a generic equivalent of Percocet 10/325, one of the most commonly prescribed opioid combination products in the United States. Percocet is the brand name for oxycodone/acetaminophen combinations manufactured by Endo Pharmaceuticals. The A 333 generic contains identical active ingredients and strengths.

Oxycodone/Acetaminophen: The Drug Combination

The A 333 tablet combines two pharmacologically distinct analgesics that work synergistically:

• Oxycodone HCl 10mg: A semi-synthetic opioid derived from thebaine, oxycodone acts as a full mu-opioid receptor agonist, producing potent analgesia by modulating pain signal transmission in the central nervous system. At 10mg, this is a higher-strength oxycodone dose in combination tablet form.
• Acetaminophen 325mg: A non-opioid analgesic and antipyretic that augments the pain-relieving effect of oxycodone through complementary mechanisms. The 325mg acetaminophen content in A 333 is among the lower APAP doses in opioid combination products, reflecting FDA guidance encouraging lower acetaminophen amounts in such formulations to reduce hepatotoxicity risk.

The combination is indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic when non-opioid therapies are insufficient. Patients taking this medication should be cautious about consuming other products containing acetaminophen (found in many OTC cold, flu, and headache medications) to avoid exceeding safe total daily acetaminophen limits.

About Actavis and Teva Pharmaceuticals

Actavis was a global pharmaceutical company with roots in Iceland (Actavis Group) and later the United States (Watson Pharmaceuticals, which acquired Actavis Group in 2012 and rebranded as Actavis). In 2015, Actavis was acquired by Allergan (which adopted the Actavis name briefly), and Teva Pharmaceuticals subsequently acquired Allergan's generic business in 2016 for approximately $40.5 billion — one of the largest pharmaceutical transactions in history.

As a result, many products bearing the "A" Actavis imprint are now distributed by Teva, one of the world's largest generic pharmaceutical companies. The "A" imprint code and associated NDC numbers remain associated with the specific manufacturing heritage but the products fall under Teva's current regulatory umbrella.

Teva operates extensive U.S. manufacturing and distribution infrastructure. All controlled substance products must be manufactured under DEA license, with strict quota controls, security requirements, and record-keeping obligations.

Schedule II Controls

As a combination product containing oxycodone, A 333 is classified as a DEA Schedule II controlled substance. Schedule II is the most restrictive category for drugs with accepted medical use in the United States. Schedule II prescriptions require written or electronic authorization from a licensed prescriber; they cannot be phoned in (except in genuine emergencies), cannot be refilled, and are subject to quantity limits in many states.

Oxycodone/acetaminophen combination products became one of the most frequently dispensed and diverted prescription medications during the early phases of the opioid crisis in the 1990s and 2000s. Increased regulatory scrutiny, PDMP programs, prescriber education, and pill mill crackdowns have significantly reduced opioid prescription volumes since their peak around 2012.

Fentanyl Counterfeit Warning

White oblong tablets are one of the most counterfeited pharmaceutical forms in the illicit drug market. The A 333 imprint — associated with oxycodone/acetaminophen 10/325mg — is a known target for counterfeit replication. Illicit manufacturers use commercial-grade pill presses and pharmaceutical dyes to produce tablets that are visually indistinguishable from legitimate A 333 tablets, but which contain illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) rather than oxycodone.

Fentanyl is estimated to be 50–100 times more potent than morphine by weight, and IMF is often mixed unevenly into counterfeit pill batches. This creates the "hot spot" phenomenon — individual tablets within a batch may contain dramatically different amounts of fentanyl, making even "testing" one pill from a batch an unreliable safety measure.

The DEA's data shows that the majority of pills seized in opioid-related enforcement operations now contain fentanyl rather than the opioids advertised. This represents a fundamental shift in the illicit opioid supply landscape. Fentanyl test strips can detect the presence of fentanyl in a dissolved pill but cannot guarantee the absence of all dangerous substances or confirm safe levels.

Naloxone (brand names Narcan, Kloxxado) is an opioid antagonist that can reverse fentanyl and oxycodone overdose. It is available without a prescription at most pharmacies. Signs of overdose — including unresponsiveness, blue lips, and absent or very slow breathing — require immediate 911 contact and naloxone administration if available.

Frequently Asked Questions