PROTECTING PATIENTS, PUBLIC

The Florida legislature is considering a bill to establish a computerized
prescription drug database to stop the misuse of pharmaceutical drugs like
OxyContin - the pain medication blamed for a rash of overdose deaths in
Southern states during the past couple of years.

Gov. Jeb Bush introduced the bill last week.

It would establish penalties for doctors who illegally prescribe medication
and put in safeguards to protect patient privacy in the database.
Prescription drug databases could help to alert pharmacists to patients who
are "doctor shopping" - going to more than one physician to obtain large
quantities of a medication for abuse or illegal sale. The database would be
available only to doctors, pharmacists and law enforcement officers who
could monitor if certain people were overfilling the drug.

Already 18 other states have prescription drug databases.

In Florida, OxyContin and similar drugs have been blamed for 370 deaths
between July 2000 and June 2001. A Florida woman was recently charged with
homicide for giving a man OxyContin, when he died after injecting the
cooked down drug into his foot. In October, another woman in Florida was
sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for injecting a man with
OxyContin at his request with fatal results.

In Etowah County, several overdose deaths were attributed to the abuse of
OxyContin - a powerful time-release pain medication that many people credit
with making it possible for them to live with chronic pain. However,
abusers crush or cook the pills to remove the time-release coating to get a
"high" from the full effect of the pain killer. And prior to widespread
publicity about the dangers of the drug, several local people who abused
the drug died as a result.

Alabama lawmakers discussed legislation regarding OxyContin at the urging
of two local families who lost sons to the drug. A task force was created
to join lawmakers, law enforcement, doctors and pharmacists to look for an
effective way to fight illegal use of the drug.

Alabama lawmakers should look closely at what Florida is doing and the
results of legislation if it passes there. If Florida or any other state
finds an effective way to fight OxyContin - and other prescription drug
abuse - borrowing its plan may be our best approach.