OXYCONTIN MAKER CUTS SHIPMENTS TO MEXICO

Law Enforcement Officials Said Illegal Distribution Of OxyContin Has
Evolved From Prescriptions Filled At Drugstores To Sophisticated Smuggling
Operations.

ABINGDON - The company that makes OxyContin has reduced shipments of the
drug to Mexico in light of reports that border smuggling of the
prescription painkiller is a growing problem.

David Haddox, senior medical director of Purdue Pharma L.P., told a state
task force examining prescription drug abuse Thursday that the company has
stopped distributing 40-milligram pills to Mexico.

Although reports of illegal shipments across the border have been
infrequent and largely unconfirmed, "we're going to fix the problem" if one
exists, Haddox said.

Purdue Pharma will continue to ship 10- and 20-mg doses of OxyContin to
Mexico, which does not account for a major share of the company's business,
Haddox said. The company will also change the markings from "OC" to "MX" on
the pills it distributes to Mexico to make them easily identifiable.

The announcement, made at the first meeting of a task force headed by
Attorney General (http://www.oag.state.va.us/Mark Earley, marks the second
time this month that Purdue has said it will trim the market for a
medication described as both a wonder drug for people in pain and a
dangerous narcotic for those who abuse it.

The company has temporarily stopped all shipments of its largest dose, a
160-mg pill known as "Oxy-coffin" by addicts who crush the tablets and
snort or inject the powder.

However, Haddox stressed that Purdue Pharma is committed to providing the
drug to those who need it. While abuse of the drug is a tragedy, "there is
every bit of a tragedy going on in this country with untreated pain," he said.

Before Haddox spoke to a task force, several law enforcement officials said
they believe illegal distribution of OxyContin has evolved from individual
prescriptions filled at corner drugstores to sophisticated smuggling
operations.

Several dealers of the drug arrested in Southwest Virginia are suspected to
have gotten it from pharmacies and other sources in Mexico. "We're talking
about thousands and thousands of pills," Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Hurt
said.

Haddox said the company has never shipped its 80- and 160-mg doses of
OxyContin to Mexico. He also said that a recent unannounced company audit
of Mexican pharmacies licensed to dispense the drug found no irregularities.

Since OxyContin became the drug of choice for many addicts in far Southwest
Virginia, crime has soared as addicts rob pharmacies, steal from homes and
businesses, and forge prescriptions to support their habits. There have
been at least 39 fatal overdoses attributed to oxycodone, the active
ingredient in OxyContin, which has been available in the area since 1997.

Limiting distribution of OxyContin in Mexico was just one of several steps
that Purdue Pharma is taking to cut back on abuse of the drug, which
accounted for more than $1 billion in sales last year.

The company is also working to educate doctors and pharmacists about the
drug's dangers, and is retraining its sales representatives to make a more
cautious pitch for the drug in 100 counties identified as possible
high-risk areas.

Earley said the group will meet several more times before completing its
work in the fall with a list of recommendations.