STATES BEGIN DEALING WITH THE GROWING PROBLEM OF OXYCONTIN ABUSE

CONTROL: Utah Now Monitors Distribution Of Prescriptions

Since OxyContin hit the market in the mid-1990s, prescriptions and
sales have soared.

Between 1996 and 2000, OxyContin prescriptions jumped more than 1,800
percent. Sales now exceed $1 billion, according to the Drug
Enforcement Administration.

States across the nation noticed OxyContin abuse rising and started
taking action in the past few years. Some states track prescriptions
with statewide databases. Others are calling for new legislation. West
Virginia's attorney general has even filed suit against
Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma, which manufactures OxyContin.

Seventeen states have programs to monitor prescription drugs. Alaska
isn't one of them, but Utah is.

In 1995, the Utah Legislature approved a bill that helped create the
Utah Controlled Substances Database. Utah had struggled with
prescription drug abuse during the 1980s and '90s, said Marvin Sims,
database manager.

Sims said state officials thought people might complain that a drug
database would invade their privacy. Confidentiality didn't prove
problematic, but funding and control did. The state's Division of
Occupational Licensing now runs the database.

The Utah database holds information about all patients who fill
prescriptions for controlled substances, including OxyContin. People
taking antibiotics and other noncontrolled drugs are not on the list,
Sims said.

At the end of every month, pharmacists are required to provide
information revealing the patient's name, address, birth date, drug
being used and how long the supply should last. Pharmacies that do not
comply or report inaccurate information are subject to fines, Sims
said.

Five groups have access to the database: anyone with the occupational
licensing division who works with data; any licensed physician who
prescribes controlled substances; any licensed pharmacist who
dispenses controlled drugs; any law enforcement agency investigating
controlled substance violations; and any individuals who want to see
their own records. People who release or request information without
proper authorization can be charged with a third-degree felony and
face a fine, Sims said.

When the database was created, Sims and his staff received about 20
requests for information daily. By the end of 2001, the number had
jumped to 150.

"It is a system that's widely accepted in our state," Sims said. "I
dare say if we did away with it, it would cause havoc." Utah is
looking into ways to quicken dissemination of information, including
putting the data online.

This year, Pennsylvania legislators have proposed several bills
related to OxyContin. One increases fines and prison sentences for
people who abuse OxyContin. Another proposes creating a computer
system to track prescriptions for controlled substances and identify
potential drug abusers.

Several states, including Maine, South Carolina and West Virginia, are
trying to reduce OxyContin abuse by Medicaid patients. These states
now require state approval of prescriptions before the drug is
dispensed, according to a report from the National Conference of State
Legislatures. Vermont no longer pays for OxyContin for certain people
who receive general assistance through the welfare department, the
report said.

Last summer, West Virginia's attorney general filed a lawsuit against
Purdue Pharma and other companies that promote OxyContin, saying they
used deceptive marketing and promoted the inappropriate use of
OxyContin for minor pain. The lawsuit calls for the companies to stop
deceptive marketing and to repay West Virginia for medical costs
related to the misuse of OxyContin.

Purdue Pharma responded to the allegations by saying the suit was
"completely baseless."

"We expect to fully prevail in this lawsuit and we will not let it
deter us from our mission: to ensure that patients in pain have the
medications they need," said Michael Friedman, the company's chief
operating officer for Purdue Pharma.