Oxycontin Makers Plead Guilty

ROANOKE, VA - Thursday the maker of OxyContin and three company executives plead guilty to the charges accusing the company of misrepresenting the powerful painkiller's addictive likelihood to the public, physicians and regulators.

Just two days earlier, the private company settled claims by paying $19.5 million to various states across the country as well as the District of Columbia. The complaints filed claim Purdue Pharma L.P. encouraged doctors to knowingly over prescribe the painkiller to patients.

A powerful, long-acting narcotic, OxyContin provides relief of serious pain for up to 12 hours. Originally, the Connecticut based Purdue Pharma L.P. claimed OxyContin's time-release formula posed a lower risk of abuse and addiction to patients than shorter-acting pain relievers like Percocet or Vicodin.

Annual sales for OxyContin quickly reached $1 billion within a few years. The creators promoted OxyContin to general practitioners who typically have little training in the treatment of serious pain as well as little experience in recognizing signs of a patient's drug abuse.

According to officials, Purdue sales staff falsely told doctors that OxyContin had a lower potential for addiction or abuse than traditional pain relievers. Furthermore, company sales people were allowed to create charts containing unproven information which they shared with doctors in attempts to support misleading abuse-related claims.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has strengthened the warnings associated with OxyContin, which is a narcotic drug approved to treat severe to moderate pain. Recently, many instances of abuse have surfaced across the country. Some of the abuse has resulted in death.

Prescription pills have become a popular drug of choice for teens. Opioid based painkillers, such as OxyContin, Darvon, Tylenol with codeine and Vicodin, are the most dangerous form of prescription pain relief. Crushing and snorting the pills increases the intensity of the drugs. Often used at parties, the combination of painkillers with other medications or alcohol is responsible for many teen deaths.

Symptoms of opioid overdose include: slow breathing, small pupils, confusion, being tired, passing out, dizziness, weakness, apathy, cold and clammy skin, nausea, vomiting and seizures. Letting a person sleep it off is dangerous as the victim may never awaken. Any of the symptoms require immediate medical attention.

Attorney John Brownlee announced that Purdue Pharma L.P. and the executives will pay $634.5 million in fines. "With its OxyContin, Purdue unleashed a highly abusable, addictive, and potentially dangerous drug on an unsuspecting and unknowing public. For these misrepresentations and crimes, Purdue and its executives have been brought to justice," Brown further commented.