VA. OXYCONTIN SUIT DERIDED

A class-action suit filed in Lee County, Va., against the Connecticut-based
manufacturer of the painkiller OxyContin is "irresponsible, unfounded and
legally flawed," an attorney representing Purdue Pharma said Wednesday in a
news release.

The suit was filed June 15 in the circuit court for Lee County.

Since May, lawsuits have been filed in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio
against the company.

William Eskridge, the Abingdon, Va., lawyer representing the Stamford,
Conn.-based company, said his client would ask to have the case dismissed.
One reason: Virginia does not permit class-action lawsuits, the Purdue
Pharma statement said.

The attorneys who filed the suit - Emmitt Yeary, Strother Smith, Debra
Stewart and Neil L. Henrichsen - dismissed the response, saying they
weren't surprised and expected it.

"It is consistent with their denying and failing to recognize the reality,
which is ... the problem they have created," Mr. Yeary, an Abingdon lawyer,
said.

Mr. Eskridge also said the suit was an attempt to "demonize Purdue Pharma
and exploit the adverse publicity surrounding OxyContin, which will only
end up hurting legitimate pain patients."

"Any attempt by lawyers to try and dictate to patients and physicians what
medication they should have is an affront to sound medical care," Mr.
Eskridge said.

The suit does not seek to have the painkiller, which is often administered
to cancer patients, taken off the market, Mr. Strother said. The plaintiffs
were administered the drug inappropriately, he said.

Abingdon was one of the first areas to see abuse of the painkiller. Mr.
Yeary said "countless" families in Virginia had been "destroyed" by abuse
of OxyContin.