Pubdate: Sun, 17 Jun 2001 Source: Beckley Register-Herald (WV) Copyright: 2001 The Register-Herald Contact: (304) 255-5625 Website: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=3D2086 Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1441 Author: J David Haddox, DDS MD FIGHT OXYCONTIN ABUSE THROUGH COOPERATION, NOT CONFRONTATION Editor's note: The following is a response from Purdue Pharma to a recent editorial in The Register-Herald. The June 13 editorial criticizing Purdue Pharma for not doing enough to curb abuse of our product, OxyContin=AE Tablets, ignores the many steps the company has taken to fight prescription drug abuse in West Virginia. The editorial also repeats allegations that describe the company's marketing practices as "coercive" and "inappropriate." Purdue's promotional efforts are conservative by any standard of pharmaceutical marketing and are closely regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which does not tolerate any inappropriate marketing activity. The Register-Herald maintains that the only step the company has taken to fight abuse was to suspend distribution of the 160-milligram OxyContin tablets. In truth, Purdue initiated a series of education and prevention efforts in West Virginia as soon as we learned that abuse of OxyContin was becoming prevalent. Company officials have had a number of meetings with state and local law enforcement officials, including the state Attorney General, to share information and cooperate on prevention efforts. We have sponsored numerous non-promotional education programs to teach healthcare professionals how to properly assess and treat patients suffering from chronic pain and reduce diversion of prescription drugs by abusers. We are offering physicians free tamper-resistant prescription pads that are designed to help prevent prescription fraud. We are sponsoring a study to find a model prescription monitoring program to prevent "doctor shopping" for prescription drugs. Company representatives have met with citizens and healthcare professionals in Gilbert, Oceana, Charleston and Huntington. We have developed radio public service announcements to warn teens of the dangers of prescription drug abuse and will implement a larger anti-drug abuse campaign to educate pre-teens (ages 9-12) this summer. The company began the difficult task of developing abuse-resistant medications back in 1996, before there were any media reports of OxyContin abuse. This is our number one research priority, on which we have already spent tens of millions of dollars. Doubtless some critics will maintain these efforts are insufficient and will only be satisfied if the drug is taken off of the market. However, Purdue Pharma will not abandon the thousands of West Virginians who rely of OxyContin for pain relief. With one phone call to the company, The Register-Herald could have asked about our marketing practices and our efforts to stop prescription drug abuse. We encourage The Register-Herald and other interested parties to join us in fighting drug abuse and the larger, unrecognized problem of undertreated pain in West Virginia. J. David Haddox, DDS, MD Senior Medical Director, Health Policy Purdue Pharma L.P. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek