COLTS OWNER HAD 4 OXYCONTIN ORDERS IN LESS THAN MONTH, LAWYER SAYS

INDIANAPOLIS -- A doctor wrote four prescriptions for OxyContin in less
than a month for Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, according to the
attorney for the pharmacist who filled the orders.

Nora Apothecary records show Irsay received a total of 400 40-milligram
tablets of OxyContin from March 20 to April 12, said the store's attorney,
Ferd Samper.

The prescriptions were written by Dr. W. Gregory Chernoff, a prominent
Indianapolis plastic surgeon, Samper told The Indianapolis Star.

The Star, citing sources it did not identify, reported last week that
Chernoff's treatment of Irsay was being questioned in a federal
investigation of pharmacies, doctors and patients who receive suspicious
pain medication prescriptions.

Marion County Prosecutor Scott Newman confirmed the Drug Enforcement
Administration investigation last week after Irsay acknowledged that he had
become dependent on prescription painkillers. Irsay said he had overcome
the problem.

Newman said federal investigators had sought Chernoff's records.

Chernoff issued a statement last week saying he would not comment because
of patient confidentiality.

Nora Apothecary filled 120 prescriptions for Irsay over a period of about a
year, Samper said, and all but one were written by Chernoff.

Samper said the U.S. attorney's office had granted the store's owner,
Charles H. Lindstrom, immunity from prosecution in exchange for his
cooperation. Authorities obtained the drugstore's records about two months
ago, he said.

Samper said that Lindstrom called Chernoff and questioned the OxyContin
prescriptions this spring, and that Chernoff assured him the prescriptions
were legitimate and he was trying to get Irsay off the drug.

OxyContin is a narcotic that is widely prescribed for patients suffering
long-term moderate to severe pain from cancer or other illnesses. It has
become a popular illicit drug because it can produce a heroin-like high.
Palmer MacKie, an Indianapolis physician and assistant professor at the
Indiana University School of Medicine, said 400 tablets at 40 milligrams
over four weeks would be highly unusual and could indicate an addiction. He
said that, of his nearly 500 patients, he prescribes that dose for fewer
than five.

Besides OxyContin, pharmacy records show Chernoff wrote Irsay prescriptions
for painkillers such as Lorcet, Vicoprofen and Norco; Xanax, an
anti-anxiety drug that can be addictive; Dexedrine, an amphetamine; and
Klonopin, an anti-seizure medicine used for panic disorder.

Chernoff's techniques in laser surgery have received national and
international attention. He has donated his skills to help reconstruct the
faces of domestic violence victims and erase the tattoos of former gang
members trying to get a fresh start.