ANTIDOTE FOR ABUSE

The company that manufactures OxyContin wants teenagers to know the dangers
of abusing prescription drugs. Purdue Pharma's educational effort, which
begins Monday with radio ads in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast,
never mentions OxyContin, but that's not necessary. The painkiller already
is famous for the good it can do and infamous for the harm it can cause.

Purdue Pharma officials thought they had a wonderful discovery in 1995 when
the Food and Drug Administration approved OxyContin, and they did. The
timed-release drug helped pain-wracked people sleep through the night and
resume activities during the day. It became the country's leading opioid
painkiller, with $1.14 billion in sales.

By early 2000, however, word began to spread that OxyContin was causing
deaths as people smashed the pills and snorted them. During the first six
months of 2001, Palm Beach County led Florida with 54 deaths in which
oxycodone, the active ingredient in OxyContin, was present in the body.
Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties listed 35 such deaths.

In July, Jupiter physician Denis Deonarine was charged with first- degree
murder in the OxyContin-related death of 21-year-old Michael Labzda of
Jupiter. The West Virginia attorney general sued Purdue Pharma, alleging
that the company marketed the drug aggressively while ignoring its
potential for abuse, a charge company officials deny. Last week, Florida
Attorney General Bob Butterworth opened an investigation into those
marketing practices.

Purdue Pharma's educational campaign targets teens with ads on radio
stations they listen to and in language they use. "It's really obvious," a
brochure says, tongue in cheek, "that when someone is passed out, they're
very boring." Its Web site, www.painfullyobvious.com, refers to the effects
of painkiller abuse -- shaking, diarrhea, passing out and dying -- as
no-brainers a smart kid wouldn't risk.

Putting aside the also-obvious fact that the company hopes to gain good
will that will offset bad publicity, the program carries a good message.
Purdue Pharma hopes to provide it to schools, churches and teen clubs.
Material aimed at parents lists behaviors which may signal that a child is
experimenting with drugs from the adults' medicine chest.

The deaths from abuse of OxyContin are not the only casualties. If
regulators respond with excessive restrictions, those who need the drug and
use it correctly will suffer needlessly. In this case, Purdue Pharma's
enlightened self-interest is in the community's best interest.