69 AUTOPSY REPORTS CITE OXYCODONE

In 36 Of Those Deaths, Toxic Levels Of Drug Found, Task-Force Study Says

LONDON -- There were 69 deaths in Kentucky over 17 months in which medical
examiners found the drug that makes up OxyContin, according to a new report.

And problems with illegal use of the drug grew as the amount of OxyContin
dispensed from Kentucky pharmacies, or to Kentucky residents, nearly
doubled last year, to 9.3 million pills, the report said.

The report by the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area said the
Kentucky medical examiner's office identified the presence of oxycodone --
the ingredient in OxyContin -- in 69 deaths between January 2000 and May
2001. In 36 of those deaths, toxic levels of oxycodone were identified,
according to the report.

The issue of deaths associated with OxyContin has been a hot topic in
Kentucky this year because of concern over abuse of the drug, especially in
Eastern Kentucky and other Appalachian areas. The report by HIDTA, based in
London, is among the most comprehensive efforts so far to draw together
statistics on OxyContin abuse in Appalachian Kentucky.

Oxycodone is used in a number of drugs besides OxyContin, and abusers often
use OxyContin along with alcohol or other drugs.

But one reason abuse of OxyContin has escalated the last two or three years
is because it has a pure dose of oxycodone, instead of being mixed with
less powerful painkillers, as other types of pills such as Tylox are.

The drug has been a boon to many people with chronic pain, but widespread
abuse has caused problems, too, including overdoses, thefts and pharmacy
robberies.

The HIDTA report said that between January 2000 and June 30, people seeking
OxyContin robbed or burglarized 69 pharmacies in Kentucky. That was far
more than in surrounding Appalachian areas.

However, West Virginia ranked much higher in consumption of OxyContin last
year; the amount distributed was 118 percent higher than the national
average, the report said. In Kentucky, the consumption rate was nearly 53
percent above the national average.

Altogether, there were 9,369,189 OxyContin pills dispensed from Kentucky
pharmacies, or to Kentucky residents, in 2000 -- up from 4,860,026 pills in
1999. That doesn't count pills Kentucky residents got at pharmacies outside
the state, the report said.

Police say the more OxyContin that is dispensed, the greater the chance for
it to be diverted for illegal use. The main way OxyContin gets diverted for
illegal sale is through ``doctor shoppers'' who visit several physicians,
often complaining of fake pain, to get multiple prescriptions, according to
the HIDTA report.

``Unscrupulous'' doctors are also a problem; several had set up clinics in
southeast Kentucky by late 1999 to take advantage of the growing popularity
of OxyContin and were writing several hundred prescriptions a day, the
report said without citing a source.

Some state residents cross the border to get drugs, in part to avoid
scrutiny by a prescription-tracking system in Kentucky. For instance, a
police officer in Morristown, Tenn., said 14 pharmacies in that area got
OxyContin prescriptions from Kentucky residents in one week this year.

The popularity of OxyContin shot up nationwide in 2000. Sales of the drug
topped $1 billion last year for Purdue Pharma, the Connecticut-based maker.

The company has been accused of pushing the drug too hard, leading doctors
to prescribe it improperly and contributing to abuse and addiction. The
company denies those claims, and has supported a number of attempts to
reduce illegal use of its drug, including training for doctors and police.

The Appalachia HIDTA developed the report with the help of the National
Drug Intelligence Center. It will be used to help in planning how to tackle
the problem of OxyContin diversion and abuse, said Roy Sturgill, HIDTA's
director.

``It'll be utilized and factored into the threat and the strategy for next
year,'' Sturgill said.

The Appalachia HIDTA is an umbrella organization -- one of more than 25 in
the country -- designed to coordinate drug-fighting efforts by federal,
state and local police agencies. The program helps with information
gathering and analysis, and provides federal funding for training,
equipment and investigations.

The Appalachia HIDTA is made up of 65 counties in Kentucky, West Virginia
and Tennessee. The organization voted in May to change its focus from
marijuana to a range of drugs, including methamphetamine and prescription
narcotics, in recognition of the larger drug problem in the area.