FEDS FOCUS ON OXYCONTIN: RASH OF PHARMACY HITS EYED

The masked gunmen behind a rash of OxyContin thefts at area pharmacies are
experienced bandits who are making big bucks off selling the lucrative
drug, a high ranking federal official told a legislative panel
yesterday."They're probably former bank robbers or the like who are now
taking advantage of this situation,'' said Vincent J. Mazzilli, special
agent in charge of the DEA's New England diversion unit, who testified
before the Legislature's Public Safety Committee.Mazzilli said the drug's
street value has driven the price well beyond the respective expense of
heroin, with a 160-milligram tablet worth $160, or $1 per milligram.The
hearing was called to investigate the rise in abuse of the powerful
painkiller, as well an outbreak in OxyContin-related crime that led to 36
pharmacy robberies over the last six months.That figure includes 18 armed
robberies over the same span, including nine in the last two months.

The most recent heist occurred when two masked gunmen ordered customers to
the floor before rifling the safe of a Medford pharmacy. It was one of
three OxyContin-related robberies between Sunday afternoon and Monday
night."We're finding many instances now of pharmacies that have been robbed
just for OxyContin - it's just a question of time before someone gets
hurt,'' said Mazzilli, whose division is currently investigating the
heists. "It's the priority of the DEA in New England.''Winchester police
Lt. James R. Pierce, head of a statewide task force, believes the armed
robbers comprise a select group."We believe that 85 percent of these armed
robberies have been perpetrated by the same group,'' said Pierce. ``They
have the same pattern every time - identical to old bank robberies.''State
Sen. James P. Jajuga (D-Methuen), co-chair of the Public Safety Committee,
said the panel must find a way to improve the security of pharmacists while
keeping OxyContin available for people who need it. The drug helps patients
suffering from cancer, extreme arthritis and lower back pain.Charles Young,
executive director of the Board of Registration in Pharmacy, told the
committee his board will continue to require that pharmacists either carry
the drug or develop a plan that provides patients with OxyContin in a
timely manner.The board has also banned signs, used by some pharmacists to
avoid robbery, claiming that OxyContin is not sold on the premises.In
addition, a spokesman for Shaw's Supermarkets and Star Market said that the
company would comply with the board's order, and take down its signs.Purdue
Pharma, the Connecticut firm that makes the drug, presented a 10-point
program to the panel yesterday, establishing a number of safeguards,
including tamper-resistant prescription pads and tamper-proof
medication.``We hope to implement this program by September of this year,''
pledged James Hines, spokesman for Purdue Pharma.According to Mazzilli and
Jajuga, Purdue Pharma made $1 billion in OxyContin profits last year - a
sharp rise from the $26 million the drug earned from its introduction in 1996.