OXYCONTIN ABUSE CITED IN VIRGINIA

RADFORD, Va. (AP) -- A western Virginia health provider said Thursday that
abuse of the painkiller OxyContin is a significant problem in an area
historically beset with illicit drug use.

"Two years ago, this wasn't an issue for us," said Rick Seidel, Opiate
Abuse Performance Improvement team leader with Carilion Health System.
"This is a new thing and we need to get on top of it."

OxyContin, a narcotic painkiller meant to last 12 hours, is widely
prescribed for victims of moderate to severe chronic pain. By crushing the
medicine and then snorting or injecting it, abusers can receive a quick,
heroin-like high.

"I consider OxyContin to be an epidemic in this area," said Dr. M. Anderson
Douglass, a Carilion psychiatrist. "For me, this is a war zone."

The drug has been blamed for contributing to more than 100 deaths
nationwide. Drug maker Purdue Pharma LP of Stamford, Conn., says those
estimates are unreliable and that in the vast majority of those cases,
victims were abusing other drugs.

Carilion decided to investigate OxyContin abuse in 1999 after pharmacists
noticed a sharp increase in the use of OxyContin and other
oxycodone-related painkillers from patients and addicts.

After surveying 90 physicians in western Virginia and talking with
officials from 15 hospitals in other states, Carilion recommended that
physicians verify prescriptions for opiates and called for standard
guidelines to treat addicts undergoing withdrawal.

Purdue officials also have initiated efforts to control abuse of their
top-selling drug. The company has helped educate medical professionals
about the threat of abuse. Officials also have developed tamper-resistant
prescription pads and are testing painkillers that are more difficult to abuse.