Study to Monitor Abused Opioid Medications

A US program has been initiated to study the prevalence of abuse and the diversion of controlled opioid precription medications with recognized abuse potential.

Called the RADARS system (researched abuse, diversion, and addiction-related surveillance), the program is designed to obtain valuable quantitative and qualitative information on the relative rates of abuse, addiction, and diversion of commonly prescribed opioid pain medications, data that currently are not available. Initially, the system will monitor six medications with abuse potential: morphine, buprenorphine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and oxycodone. As experience with the system accumulates, other types of medications, such as benzodiazepines, will be added to the list.

The program was established by Purdue Pharma (Stamford, CT, USA). The company is contracting with universities and other agencies to conduct drug studies. Two studies will collect data on OxyContin in areas where heavy abuse of this drug has been found. Researchers will also collect information from pain specialists, addiction treatment specialists, and directors of addiction treatment programs. The data generated will help the health-care community, law enforcement, the public, and the pharmaceutical industry to better understand the problems of abuse and diversion of prescription drugs. Data will also be used to help design and assess prevention and intervention programs.

"A comprehensive surveillance system is needed to look at these data and establish a scientific foundation for developing more effective prevention and intervention efforts,” said Sidney H. Schnoll, M.D., Ph.D., medical director, health policy, at Purdue Pharma. Dr. Schnoll is a nationally recognized expert on addiction medicine.