PAINKILLER TASK FORCE TARGETS PRESCRIPTION FRAUD

Photo Identification Is Urged To Detect Drug Abusers

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Members of a state task force on OxyContin say
pharmacists need a better way to detect fraudulent prescriptions for the
powerful painkiller and other abused drugs.

Ishmon Burks, commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, noted at the start
of a two-hour meeting of the task force yesterday that prescription-drug
problems in Kentucky are not limited to OxyContin and that eliminating all
illegal prescriptions is a top priority.

"There will always be a new drug used for illegal purposes," Burks said.
"OxyContin happens to be the drug now."

Federal authorities say overdoses of OxyContin have killed at least 59
Kentuckians since January of last year. More than 200 people have been
indicted in an investigation of illegal trafficking in the drug, which is
used to treat people with severe pain.

OxyContin is a time-release medication, but abusers defeat that by crushing
the drug to get the full dose immediately.

Several participants at yesterday's task-force meeting, the first since its
creation by Gov. Paul Patton last month, proposed ways to keep drug abusers
from illegally obtaining OxyContin and other painkillers.

Lynne Thompson, a Lexington police detective and a taskforce member, urged
the General Assembly to direct pharmacies to require photo identification
from people seeking to fill prescriptions.

"No photo ID is checked unless the pharmacy has a policy of doing it,"
Thompson said.

C. Milton Young III, a Louisville internist who addressed the task force,
agreed that lawmakers need to "raise the bar" to prevent people from
getting prescription drugs by trickery.

Young proposed that all pharmacy telephones be required to have caller ID
to reduce the number of prescriptions that are phoned in illegally.
"There's the subterfuge of calling a pharmacy and saying you're calling
from a doctor's office," Young said. "It happens all the time."

Young also suggested using fingerprints to identify people who pick up
prescriptions.

In a telephone interview, Ron Huffman, a Pike County pharmacist, said he
requires customers to sign a register when picking up a prescription. He
believes a photo-ID policy might make him less hesitant to dispense OxyContin.

"I've gotten to the point where I don't fill an (OxyContin) prescription
unless I know the patient and the doctor who prescribed it," Huffman said.

Ron Judy, a member of the Kentucky Pharmacy Association, asked the task
force to consider how far a pharmacist can go in reporting suspicion about
a prescription, given confidentiality concerns.

Rep. Jack Coleman, D-Burgin, told the task force legislators have been
considering ways to prevent prescription fraud and he hopes they will
consider requiring photo IDs.

"I got a sense today that prescription-drug fraud is a big problem,"
Coleman said. ". . . We need to stop fraudulent visits to (health-care)
providers and identify people as quickly as possible."

While much of the discussion at the meeting focused on pharmacists who
dispense prescription drugs, Burks believes physicians also need to keep
better informed about the drugs they prescribe.

"Overprescribing drugs is a matter of not paying attention," Burks said.
"Patients are possibly manipulating doctors."

Dr. J. David Haddox, senior medical director for Purdue Pharma, the
manufacturer of OxyContin, said the company is working with doctors to help
them evaluate patients complaining about pain and advise them on
prescribing the drug.

"We are very supportive of law-enforcement efforts to stop people who
obtain the drug by theft, deceit or fraud," said Haddox, who acknowledged
that publicity about OxyContin abuse in Eastern Kentucky has hurt the image
of the drug.

The task force will meet again April 18.