GOOD DRUG GONE WRONG

It's not fair. It's not fair to the patients who legitimately need
Oxycontin that abuse by others may jeopardize its availability.

It's not fair or right that a company that produces a highly effective
pain killer must also figure out a way to keep it from addicts.

And it's not fair or right that unscrupulous people profit from
addicting others to powerful drugs.

But those things are happening everyday, and today's story about Jerry
Castor unfortunately could be repeated across the country. Someone's
brother and son gets hooked on this powerful drug, and much sooner
than anyone wanted the family is making funeral arrangements. Jerry's
body was found outside a doctor's office in China Grove. He was 30
years old.

In the story today and more stories tomorrow, Post writer Katie
Scarvey takes a look at Oxycontin, a relatively new painkiller, and
the impact the drug is having in the illicit drug world. It may be a
sign of our times -- an ironic by-product of our effective technology,
research and development -- that drug makers can't just sell a highly
effective painkiller. In this case, the company may also have to make
sure it's not selling too much of the drug.

Purdue Pharma has actually given grants to law enforcement agencies to
help them find and arrest those who abuse the drug or illegally trade
in it. The company is working on an abuse-resistant formulation. And
it's encouraging doctors and pharmacists to be on the lookout for
doctor shoppers and drug seekers -- people who come up with pretty
convincing stories in order to secure another prescription and get
their hands on these highly profitable drugs.

Good for Purdue Pharma. The unfortunate fact is that OxyContin, as one
source told Scarvey, is just the drug du jour, and many companies
would not go to that trouble and expense. If people weren't getting
addicted to that drug, they probably would find some other. The
science of addiction is too complicated to go into here, but some
people may be predisposed to becoming addicted.

But OxyContin has a double-whammy. It is powerful enough to kill. And
powerful enough to help some suffering people keep the will to live.

Doctors, pharmacists, the drugmaker and authorities must work together
to ensure that it remains available to the people who truly need it.