STUDY MAY HELP SEPARATE DRUG DEATHS

Report Differentiates Between Oxycontin, Oxycodone Deaths

A recent study released by the Drug Enforcement Administration may help
West Virginia better distinguish the deaths caused by oxycodone and those
caused by OxyContin, the state commissioner of Public Health said. The
report, released last week, differentiates between deaths caused by
oxycodone and OxyContin.

OxyContin is a time-released pain reliever prescribed for chronic pain
patients and abused by drug users seeking a heroin-like high. Oxycodone is
the active ingredient in OxyContin.

Using medical examiners reports from 32 states, including West Virginia,
the administration concluded that 49 percent of deaths between 2000 and
2001 caused by oxycodone were likely related to the specific brand
OxyContin, according to a summary of the findings from the administration.

Dr. Henry Taylor, the West Virginia commissioner of public health, said
that 20 people in West Virginia died in 1999 from oxycodone associated
deaths. "As many people died in 1999 from oxycodone associated deaths as
died from HIV or pneumonia," Taylor said.

"That's a high number," he said.

The number of deaths in 2000 and 2001 associated with oxycodone were not
yet available, Taylor said.

Of the 20 people that died in 1999 due to oxycodone toxicity, only one of
those was deemed to be due to the brand OxyContin.

Of the other 19 oxycodone related deaths, many of them also had high levels
of alcohol or other substances.

"It would appear in the DEA study that they were able to rule out the
contributing levels of alcohol and other drugs more effectively than we did
in our analysis," Taylor said.

The methodology of the DEA study was to call a death likely caused by
OxyContin if the cause of death was oxycodone toxicity and the substances
- -- acetaminophen and/or salicylates -- were absent.

In 2000, OxyContin accounted for 81 percent of the single-entity oxycodone
market, according to the administration's summary of their findings.

Most other oxycodone products also include the pain relievers acetaminophen
or salicylates, according to the summary.

"I'm very interested in the methodology used by the DEA," Taylor said.
"It's useful because the DEA has worked out a methodology that we may be
able to apply to our statistics to get a better handle on what's really
going on."

Taylor said the study highlights an important policy issue because, "we
clearly have problems with narcotic diversion and addiction, but also West
Virginians have very high levels of chronic pain."

Another thing Taylor said is interesting about the study is that the DEA is
singling out the brand OxyContin.

"They are directly taking on the company," he said.

The Connecticut-based manufacturers of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma, issued a
statement Tuesday disputing the DEA's analysis.

"Purdue physicians strongly disagreed with the DEA's interpretation of
these reports, which suffers from serious interpretive and methodological
flaws that undermine the conclusions drawn," according to the statement
from Purdue.

Dr. Paul Goldheim, senior physician and executive vice president of
worldwide research and development said, "And while there is no question
that there have been deaths by overdose from the abuse of OxyContin,
autopsy reports received by the company have confirmed that, in most cases,
the deaths were due to polydrug toxicity. Unfortunately these reports
reflect a pattern of drug abuse in the United States that results in
thousands of such deaths every year."