OxyContin Continues to Contribute to Growing Epidemic
It has been widely reported that Canadians are increasingly dying due to the criminal marketing of OxyContin. This increase has nearly doubled in the past 13 years. In addition, a 40 mg OxyContin tablet is one prescription medication that is said to have caused a 40 percent increase in opioid-related deaths since the 1990s.
In the Salem News, Marianne Skolel highlighted this hidden drug problem – one that kills more people in Ontario than heroin overdoses. Perhaps the most alarming aspect of this growing problem is those doctors who prescribe the narcotic pain killer without being aware of the dangers to patients.
Skolel cited a written statement by Purdue Pharma Canada in Pickering, Ont., "It is important to recognize that opioid analgesics have an established medical purpose. OxyContin remains a safe and effective medicine when used appropriately and under the supervision of a physician. Purdue Pharma Canada is continuing to provide doctors with the information and tools to help them prescribe opioid analgesics safely when medically appropriate."
Perhaps the most alarming element of this statement is not that it was made, but that it seems to contradict the actions and beliefs of Purdue Pharma. A particular pen distributed by the company, the “window shade” pen provides specific dosage information on OxyContin.
“It's what is on the other side of the pull-out window shade that is interesting and got Purdue Pharma in some trouble years ago,” said Skolel. “It lists a ‘Product Dose’ and ‘OxyContin Comparable Dose’. It shows Tylenol with Codeine 30 mg and OxyContin 20 - 30 mg as a ‘comparable dose’.”
The big pharma received a letter from the then Pennsylvania Attorney General Mike Fisher in which he challenged the company to stop what he referred to as "aggressive marketing practices, such as conversion charts in pens" to sell OxyContin.
The pen was no longer distributed, but not because Purdue Pharma decided to take the high road, but because governments banned its use. Unfortunately, this ban has not reversed the growing trend of OxyContin users and abusers.