FOCUS ON PAIN DRUG ABUSE OVERBLOWN, GROUP SAYS

ST. JOHN'S -- For many Canadians who suffer crippling pain, taking
oxycodone-based drugs is the only way to have a normal life, and
widespread publicity about the abuse of prescription drugs such as
OxyContin could have devastating results, the Canadian Pain Society
says.

The focus on illegal use is unfairly demonizing the drug, the
Toronto-based society said in a release yesterday.

"Certainly there have been cases of abuse of the drug. But we're
worried about throwing the baby out with the bath water," Gary
Rollman, the society's president, said in an interview.

"An enormous number of people can benefit and only a small number of
people are misusing the drugs."

Reports of abuse have created an atmosphere in which physicians are
afraid to prescribe oxycodone drugs and patients are afraid to take
them, he said.

As many as 18 per cent of Canadians suffer from chronic pain,
according to the Chronic Pain Association of Canada. It can keep them
from work, family and friends, Mr. Rollman said.

"When the aspirin, the Tylenol, the anti-inflammatory drugs are not
sufficient to control the pain . . . then we want to be certain that
physicians and patients feel comfortable with using opiates," Mr.
Rollman said.

Introduced in Canada and the United States in the mid-1990s, OxyContin
is the No. 1 painkiller prescribed by doctors for cancer-related and
chronic pain.

It is the latest and most potent drug containing the pain-killing
ingredient oxycodone.

Dubbed "hillbilly heroin" for its popularity in rural areas where
street drugs are few, it has been linked to seven deaths in
Newfoundland and Labrador. In Nova Scotia, 22 sudden deaths in the
past 22 months have been attributed to abuse of prescription drugs,
including OxyContin.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has blamed the drug for a
100-per-cent jump in the number of armed robberies, and a provincial
task force reported this month that abuse of the drug is growing among
teens.

This year, Health Canada asked for all sales information relating to
oxycodone-based prescription drugs sold at Atlantic Canada's 647
pharmacies. The Nova Scotia government is drafting legislation for a
prescription-monitoring program and the Newfoundland task force called
for increased monitoring of both patients and physicians.

The abuse of OxyContin is a serious problem in Newfoundland, Staff
Sergeant June Layden of the constabulary said. But police recognize
that the drug has a legitimate use and would not want to see it banned.

"We realize that there's a balance that has to be struck here," Staff
Sgt. Layden said.

Educating doctors and users has priority, she said. "We have to ensure
. . . that our medical practitioners are prescribing this drug in a
judicious manner."

Doctors should assess patients very carefully, the Canadian Pain
Society said, but in the end they rely heavily on information from the
patient to choose the best treatment.

"Physicians should not be blamed for the willful attempt on the part
of patients to obtain opioids for illicit purposes," the society said.