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.