PANEL WILL SEEK CURE FOR MISUSE OF DRUGS

The State Wants Input On Curbing Overprescription And Abuse Of OxyContin
And Other Painkillers.

Teresa Ashcraft and Scott Shiver have never met, but both Central Florida
residents have a stake in a hearing Monday that could affect the
prescribing of OxyContin and other prescription drugs.

Ashcraft, 43, of DeBary, plans to attend the afternoon session at the
Orlando Public Library called by a state Senate health panel looking into
problems of overprescribing, especially as it relates to Medicaid, a
program for needy patients.

The hearing follows a report released Thursday by the General Accounting
Office -- the investigative arm of Congress -- that said Purdue Pharma, the
Stamford, Conn.-based maker of OxyContin, had aggressively promoted its
blockbuster drug.

OxyContin sales nationwide were more than $1 billion in 2001 and again in 2002.

Ashcraft, a school worker, wants to speak in favor of a
prescription-tracking system that would monitor prescribing by doctors and
doctor-shopping by addicts. She thinks it would have saved her son, Bobby,
19, who died two years ago from an overdose of oxycodone, the active
ingredient in OxyContin and other painkillers.

Purdue Pharma pledged $2 million toward the monitoring program in November
2002, when the state ended a yearlong investigation into the company's
marketing of its signature drug.

Shiver, 41, of Longwood, plans to watch the hearing Tuesday night on cable
television. Shiver is disabled and depends on OxyContin to function. He
fears that negative publicity about the powerful painkiller could make
doctors reluctant to prescribe it.

Sen. Burt Saunders, R-Naples, who called for the hearing, said Shiver's
fears are more likely to be realized if the state does not step in to
control the crisis in Medicaid spending as well as addiction, abuse and
overdoses tied to overprescribing.

An Orlando Sentinel series in October reported that in 2001 and 2002, more
Florida residents died from oxycodone, the active ingredient in OxyContin
and other painkillers, than from heroin. State officials said five people
in Florida die daily from prescription-drug overdoses.

"There are things we need to do so that products like OxyContin are not
overprescribed, because that's how they end up on the street," said
Saunders, a close friend of a 22-year-old Orlando man whose family said he
died from an accidental overdose.

Christopher Pauzar became addicted after he was prescribed OxyContin for a
minor shoulder injury, his family said. After he went through drug
rehabilitation last fall, his friends said, he didn't think taking the
painkiller one more time would hurt. His death is under investigation.

State officials are concerned about the human and financial costs linked to
overprescribing.

OxyContin ranked fourth among Florida Medicaid payments for prescription
drugs in 2001 and 2002, state records show, accounting for more than $60
million.

Shiver, who said he suffers from a neurological disorder as a result of a
car crash several years ago, said he worries about privacy issues of a
tracking system. He hopes that will be addressed at Monday's hearing.

A state-proposed prescription-monitoring system would make unauthorized use
or disclosure of patient information a felony.

Ashcraft said she wants to ensure that OxyContin and other prescription
drugs are available for patients who need them.

"I don't want to take them off the market," she said. "But I don't
understand why pain patients and pain doctors would be against the drugs
being monitored. If they have nothing to hide, I say, 'Jump on board.' "

State officials said people wanting to voice an opinion at Monday's hearing
will be heard on a first-come, first-served basis. The hearing will be
broadcast on Orange Cable TV-Channel 9 at 7 p.m. Tuesday.