OXYCONTIN MANUFACTURER: DON'T FORGET THE PATIENTS

In the past few weeks, the Orlando Sentinel has reported on several
new state and federal initiatives to address the problem of
prescription-drug abuse in Florida. State Sen. Burt Saunders
announced hearings to examine Medicaid fraud as it relates to the
illegal diversion of prescription drugs; a separate task force, headed
by Attorney General Charlie Crist and Florida drug czar James
McDonough, will investigate the same issue; and U.S. Congressman John
Mica announced that a House subcommittee will hold a hearing in
February on this subject.

As the manufacturer of OxyContin (oxycodone HCl controlled-release)
Tablets, we share these concerns about prescription-drug abuse in
Florida. This problem is not a new phenomenon, however, and we must be
careful that any proposed "cure" does not do more harm than the
"disease" itself. In other words, measures designed to curb illegal
trafficking and abuse of prescription drugs must not restrict access
for patients who need these medications.

It is our hope that lawmakers will consider three very important
points when addressing this problem. First, and most important, these
medications when used appropriately help alleviate the pain of
thousands of Floridians who otherwise would suffer needlessly. Second,
it is the abuse of these medications, not the medications themselves,
that is the cause of the problem. Third, according to the Florida
Medical Examiners reports, the majority of drug-related fatalities
occur from a lethal cocktail of several drugs.

A scientific study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology
reported the analysis of more than 1,000 autopsies of drug overdoses
involving oxycodone from 23 states, including more than 300 from
Florida, which occurred between August 1999 and January 2002. The
study found that greater than 90 percent of deaths where oxycodone was
present were due to drug abuse. In that same study, 268, or 94
percent, of those deaths in Florida involved drug abuse. All of them
had multiple drugs present at autopsy.

Purdue Pharma has been on the front lines in the fight against the
illegal trafficking and abuse of prescription drugs. In the state of
Florida alone, we have spent more than $150,000 to educate 680 law-
enforcement officers about how to combat prescription-drug
trafficking. We have distributed some 35,000 tamper-resistant
prescription pads to 2,200 physicians throughout the state, and
sponsored over 500 educational programs for more than 135,000
health-care professionals on the appropriate use of pain medications.
We are also underwriting "Communities That Care" programs in Tampa,
Tallahassee and Palm Beach County to identify and address the root
causes of substance abuse in these communities, at a cost of $25,000
per site.

In addition, Purdue has pledged $2 million toward the development of
an innovative prescription-monitoring program in Florida that, once
completed, could be shared with other states across the country. And
we are working with the state's legislative leadership to gain support
for the legislation needed to establish a prescription-monitoring program.

Purdue is taking these steps to ensure that criminal activity does not
determine health-care policy in Florida. As lawmakers seek solutions
to the problem of prescription-drug abuse, they must be sure that
responsible health-care professionals can continue to provide
effective and appropriate care to patients suffering from serious,
unrelenting pain.

Paul Goldenheim, M.D. is executive vice president and chief scientific
officer for Purdue Pharma L.P.