DEA Says OxyContin Deaths on the Rise
April 15, 2002
According to a new report released by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the painkiller OxyContin may have contributed to 464 drug overdose deaths in the last two years. The new data comes months after the DEA launched an investigation into the drug's involvement in hundreds of overdose deaths across the country. As part of the inquiry, the agency asked state officials to turn in medical examiner and autopsy records in which the active ingredient in OxyContin, oxycodone, had been found.
The DEA says that "credible scientific evidence" now exists linking OxyContin to the overdose deaths. The drug's maker, Purdue Pharma, and an official with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) say the drug does not pose a threat to users who take it as prescribed.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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