Over the last several months, local, state, and federal agencies have networked to address the problem of OxyContin® Abuse. Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin®, has joined in their efforts.
Kentucky
In Kentucky, the state where the number of deaths attributed to OxyContin® abuse
is highest, a task force was created to address the problem. State
Representative Jack Coleman commented, "The problem is not OxyContin®. The
problem is drug abuse in Kentucky. It's just moved from (narcotic) Tylenol to
OxyContin®." The primary tool of the task force is the state's database of controlled-drug prescriptions,
The Kentucky All-Schedule Electronic Reporting System. It's used to track
prescription trends and stop "doctor shopping," which is when abusers
go from one doctor to the next complaining of symptoms and attempting to get
prescriptions for narcotics. They are now encouraging other states to implement
similar databases to facilitate sharing information.
Cincinnati, Ohio
In Cincinnati, major attention is paid to drug diversion. Cincinnati is the only city in the united states to have a full-time
drug diversion unit. The focus of this unit is doctors, nurses, and other health
care professionals who divert drugs for their personal use. In 1999, 30 percent
of the 250 felony drug arrests in Cincinnati involved health care professionals.
According to Jonathan Aiken of CNN, police departments everywhere lack the
resources to fight prescription drug abuse. He quotes Charlie Cichon of the
National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators as saying, "Their unit
commanders want them to target the illicit street drugs - the heroin and
cocaine - so that the pharmaceutical drugs are definitely put on the back
burner."
Indiana, Kentucky,
Maryland, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West
Virginia
Attorneys general from these states met in Richmond, Virginia, on March 1, 2001,
with officials from Purdue Pharma to discuss various strategies to prevent
abuse. The Associated Press quoted Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran,
Jr., as "hoping doctors would not hesitate to provide it (OxyContin®) to
those truly in need." He stated, "Where there is pain that can be
relieved, we want it to be relieved."
Federal
The DEA has been working with state governments to assist with the formulation
of task forces, train law enforcement officers, and provide other support as
needed. FDA officials have also met with Purdue Pharma officials to brainstorm
possible solutions to both the abuse and diversion problems. DEA officials have
described this as their first effort to fight misuse of a particular
prescription drug.
Purdue Pharma
Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin®, has met with various
state and federal officials to discuss the problems of OxyContin® abuse and
diversion. While there has been discussion of limiting the prescribing
capabilities for OxyContin® to pain specialists, this option would have the
effect or denying the drug to the majority of patients because of the limited
number of pain specialists in the U.S.
In a telephone conversation I had with Robin Hogen of Purdue Pharma on May 9, 2001, Mr. Hogen stated that, "The DEA and Purdue are aligned in efforts to reduce prescription drug abuse." He also assured me that a primary goal of Purdue is to, "be sure physicians are knowledgeable in the prescribing of OxyContin®, not as a first-line medication, but when drugs such as NSAID's have failed and opioids are appropriate."
Purdue Pharma has issued two documents that are reprinted on the next pages of this article with their permission.
- Frequently Asked Questions About the Illegal Abuse and Diversion of OxyContin® Tablets
- Press Release: Purdue Pharma Statement on DEA Program to Reduce Diversion of OxyContin® Tablets. This is a major plan consisting of ten initiatives the company is undertaking to combat abuse and diversion of the drug.
Summary
The synthetic opioid OxyContin has become a drug of abuse, following
in the steps of other prescription drugs that contain Oxycodone, the active
ingredient in OxyContin®. The level of abuse and the number of people who have
died because of OxyContin® abuse cannot at this time be accurately stated. While
there is no denying that it's diversion and abuse are a problem, there is
another problem of at least equal concern - the needs of people truly
suffering from chronic pain and in need of OxyContin® for pain relief.
>>Please click the link below to continue to page 3, "Purdue Pharma FAQ and Statement"<<
