ABSTRACT
Introduction: constructing the problem OxyContin (trade name), an oxycodone drug, was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1995 and first marketed in 1996 by Purdue Pharma of Stamford, Connecticut. Among the most powerful analgesics currently manufactured, OxyContin is a synthetic opioid. Opioid drugs (which include opium, heroin, morphine, codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone) are produced from the opium poppy. Opiate agonists, such as OxyContin, provide pain relief by acting on opioid receptors in the brain, the spinal cord and directly on tissue (OxyContin Diversion and Abuse 2002). OxyContin is a single-entity product unlike most oxycodone products (eg Percodan and Percocet) that typically contain aspirin or acetaminophen. A marked improvement over other drugs, OxyContin reportedly is 16 times more powerful than similar narcotics (Sappenfield 2001). Designed as an orally administered, time-release analgesic, OxyContin provides significant and sustained pain relief and, due to its addictive propensity, is listed as a Schedule II narcotic (ie drugs approved for medical use and that have a high potential for abuse) under the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA’s) Controlled Substances Act.
