OxyContin in the News
Court: Limbaugh Records Seizure Valid
October 6, 2004, Reuters
Florida prosecutors acted legally when they seized Rush Limbaugh's medical records during an investigation into whether the conservative radio host misused prescription painkillers, an appeals courtruled on Wednesday. 
FDA Will Restrict New Painkiller
September 27, 2004, Wall Street Journal
Stronger than OxyContin, Purdue's new opioid Palladone has a potential for abuse. It received FDA approval, with restrictions designed to avoid the abuse and addiction problems that have arisen with similar drugs. Singer Mindy McCready Arrested
August 6, 2004, Nashville Tennessean
Country recording artist Mindy McCready — who had a No.1 hit with her 1996 single, "Guys Do It All the Time" — was arrested yesterday after she presented a fraudulent prescription for OxyContin, a potent painkiller often used as a heroin substitute, to a pharmacy. Blocking Medical Product Suits (editorial)
August 1, 2004, New York Times
It is disheartening that the Bush administration has been intervening in court to block lawsuits filed by people seeking compensation from manufacturers for harm allegedly caused by drugs or medical devices. If the Bush administration's campaign proves broadly successful, people injured by drugs or medical devices may be left without legal recourse, no matter how just their complaints. Bush Blocks Medical Suits
July 25, 2004, New York Times
The Bush administration has been going to court to block lawsuits by consumers who say they have been injured by prescription drugs. But Representative Maurice D. Hinchey said the administration is "seeking to protect drug companies instead of the public." Treatment Centers See Increase in Oxycontin, Xanax Addiction
June 28, 2004, KLTV 7 (Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, TX)
East Texas drug treatment facilities are responding to a growing trend in the area, the rise in prescription drug abuse. At ETMC there has been a sharp increase in patients treated for addiction to Xanax and Oxycontin. Another Dose of OxyContin Horror Stories
June 10, 2004, Malden Observer
"This is the crack cocaine of the millennium," said Police Chief Kenneth Coye. "If you become involved with this drug, you will become addicted. It takes as few as three to five uses." Use or abuse?
May 2, 2004, Chattanooga Times Free Press
East Tennessee residents consume potent painkillers at a rate sometimes twice as high as their middle and West Tennessee neighbors, according to the state's largest health insurer... Data from BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee detailing prescription rates for two powerful painkillers — hydrocodone and OxyContin — points to what health experts say is a disturbing trend of increased usage. Suspected OD Claims Athlete, Teen's Girlfriend Clings to Life
April 13, 2004, The Boston Herald
A star athlete at Malden Catholic High School is dead and his teenage girlfriend was on life support last night after suspected drug overdoses. The tragedy comes on the heels of a Herald investigation into opiate overdoses among teenagers reaching epidemic proportions in Massachusetts. 