Abuse of OxyContin is on the rise and the Drug Enforcement Administration needs more investigators to fight the widespread problems associated with the prescription painkiller, DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson told a congressional committee yesterday.
In hearings before the House subcommittee on the Departments of Commerce, Justice and State, lawmakers criticized the drug's manufacturer, claiming that its executives have not done enough to stop OxyContin from gaining hold in illegal markets.
During sometimes-heated discussion, the representatives accused Purdue Pharma L.P. of overpromoting its popular drug to people who don't need it. Purdue officials testified that the company has jumped into the problem "with both feet" and is committed to reducing abuse through its own educational efforts and cooperation with the DEA.
"People were dying and you did nothing," said Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.), whose district includes Hazard County, which has been hit particularly hard by OxyContin abuse. Rogers called OxyContin "the worst scourge that we've had in the drug wars."
The controversial painkiller -- which has been hailed as a wonder drug for pain sufferers but has slipped into a world of abuse -- continues to ravage small, rural areas of Appalachia, including some western counties in Virginia, and Hutchinson said it is starting to affect urban areas such as Boston and Philadelphia. It also has been found in Prince William County.
Hutchinson said new information from medical examiners across the country has linked the drug to almost 300 overdose deaths in 31 states. Officials are also looking into about 500 other deaths that could be related.
"I don't believe we've reached the peak of this problem yet," Hutchinson testified. "We are still on the incline."
Generally regarded as relief for terminal cancer patients or other people with chronic pain, the drug has become popular for abusers seeking a euphoric, heroin-like high. Abusers crush the tablets and snort or inject them for an immediate rush that can be deadly.
"We at Purdue are very distressed that OxyContin, which is providing so much relief to so many people, is being abused, and we deeply regret the tragic consequences that have resulted from the misuse of this medicine," said Paul Goldenheim, Purdue's senior physician and executive vice president for research and development. ". . .This is a terrible problem for this country that we all must join together to address."
Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), chairman of the subcommittee, and Rep. Jose E. Serrano (D-N.Y.), said they want solutions that would allow the drug to be kept on the market. Law enforcement officials suggested prescription monitoring programs that have worked in some states and more funding for enforcement efforts.
But Hutchinson and members of the committee said yesterday that they are concerned about a heist Monday at a Mexico City distribution center that was stocked with OxyContin. Nine armed and masked thieves took control of the facility and made off with almost 1 million tablets, worth more than $20 million. Hutchinson said most of those pills are destined for America's underground.
Law enforcement officials from Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia testified that OxyContin has created a whirlwind of crime that has touched, in some cases, the entire population of some small towns.
"It has demoralized our community," said Rod Maggard, former police chief in Hazard. "It bankrupted spiritually, morally and financially people all over our area."
Wolf said he would ask the General Accounting Office to inspect Purdue's marketing efforts to see whether the company overpromoted OxyContin, pushing physicians into prescribing it incorrectly. Last year, OxyContin was the best-selling drug of its kind, with almost 6 million prescriptions, generating more than $1 billion in sales.
