Painkiller Linked to Overdose Deaths

Following a review of autopsy data, officials of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have concluded that the painkiller OxyContin was a factor in the overdose deaths of 110 people over the last 19 months. The study did not attempt to determine whether the drug alone was responsible for the deaths since the deaths involved multiple drugs.

Previously, overdose deaths by people taking OxyContin were believed to have been caused by people snorting or injecting crushed pills, a faster and more dangerous way to take the drug. However, the federal review showed that almost all of the overdose deaths were of people who had swallowed OxyContin whole or crushed into powder. Since the beginning of 2000, federal officials say around 500 people have died from overdoses involving oxycodone, the addictive narcotic in the drug and in other painkillers. However, they were unable to determine if all the overdoses were caused by OxyContin.

Recently, the manufacturer of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma L.P. (Stamford, CT) announced the beginning of clinical studies of a new drug containing oxycodone in a controlled-release formulation with an opiod antagonist, naloxone. The new version is designed to reduce intravenous abuse of OxyContin tablets. If the tablet is crushed and injected, the naloxone is released into the bloodstream, where it counteracts the effect of the oxycodone, diminishing the euphoria sought by the abuser. However, the recent findings that almost all the OxyContin-linked overdose deaths were of people who swallowed the drug would appear to indicate that this new version of OxyContin may not solve the abuse problem.




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