The OxyContin Reformulation: Is It Working?
`
`http://www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/issue/2011/May2011/Drug...
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`The OxyContin Reformulation: Is It Working?
`
`Cmdr John Burke
`Published Online: Monday, May 16, 2011
`
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`After 6 months on the market, Purdue Pharma's reformulation of this commonly abused
`drug deserves a second look.
`
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`In the spring of 2010, the FDA approved the reformulation of OxyContin, opening the doors for
`Purdue Pharma to begin distributing the new product with the hope that it would be more difficult
`for abusers to compromise and receive the “high” they crave. I discussed this issue several
`months ago and expressed hope that this reformulation would prove successful.
`
`In mid-August 2010, the first of the reformulated OxyContin began to make its way into retail
`pharmacies across the United States. By the end of the year, most if not all pharmacies were no
`longer dispensing the old OxyContin. Very little cosmetic change can be noticed in the
`reformulated drug, except that the indicia “OC” is changed to “OP” and the 80-mg pill is slightly
`larger.
`
`The big formulation change affects the ability of individuals to break the pill down for injection,
`snorting, chewing, and even smoking. The majority of people seeking to abuse this drug need to
`put the drug into their bodies as quickly as possible, thus the old term “rush” in the drug world.
`Purdue Pharma’s reformulation made the pills much more difficult to break down and abuse.
`
`So, the question after 6 months is whether all the money spent on the reformulation was worth
`it. Although I must stress that it is early and making any definitive judgment on this reformulation
`is premature at best, there are some positive signs.
`
`What makes me think I know the abuse level of the new OxyContin? I am the national president
`of the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI) and the commander of a
`large drug task force and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area initiative in southwest Ohio. I talk
`to investigators across the country by e-mail and phone daily and participate in training
`conferences, during which I make it a point to ask about the changes, if any, with the new
`formulation. In addition, NADDI operates a list server with several hundred members online, and
`I recently asked the members the same question concerning changes in OxyContin street prices
`and demand, if any.
`
`My own drug task force can provide 1 quick and easy measurement. Our undercover officers
`routinely bought the old version of OxyContin, as it remained steadily at about $1 per mg on the
`street. Since the reformulation, I am not sure if the street price has declined, because the
`offering of and demand for OxyContin has sharply decreased, if not gone away altogether.
`
`My queries of law enforcement at our numerous state and regional conferences, including most
`recently in Savannah, Georgia, reveal the same result—the problem is oxycodone IR (30 mg).
`This is the same drug that has been flowing from Florida’s pill mills into our state and adjoining
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`The OxyContin Reformulation: Is It Working?
`
`http://www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/issue/2011/May2011/Drug...
`
`PUBLICATIONS
`Street values are consistently $1 per mg.
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`Finally, I posed the OxyContin question to the several hundred members on our list server, who
`are representative of most of the country’s agencies. Once again, they made no mention of the
`abuse of the new OxyContin; instead, oxycodone IR seems to be the culprit. It may be too soon
`to say for sure, but the signs are positive.
`
`It concerns me when politicians in particular continue to mention the OxyContin problem, with
`one Maryland official recently mentioning that the 30-mg tablets are fetching $1 per mg in his
`state. My guess is that he was referring to oxycodone IR, because he specifically mentioned the
`30-mg dose, whereas most of the OxyContin abuse occurred with the 40- and 80-mg tablets.
`Regardless, if OxyContin is still being abused, so be it, but everyone should make sure they
`report this problem accurately, and that includes officials in law enforcement who distribute
`press releases.
`
`In addition to the abuse of oxycodone IR 30 mg, I believe the reformulation has led to an even
`stronger increase in heroin abuse. Heroin is potent and relatively cheap in the United States,
`and it makes sense that some of the increase is the result of this change in formulation.
`
`I will continue to monitor the reformulation of OxyContin, and be sure to report back the results,
`good or bad. In the meantime, if you have had some experience with the new formulation,
`please email me at burke@choice.net and tell me your story. PT
`
`Cmdr Burke is commander of the Warren County, Ohio, drug task force and retired commander
`of the Cincinnati Police Pharmaceutical Diversion Squad. Cmdr Burke is a 40-year veteran of
`law enforcement and the current president of the National Association of Drug Diversion
`Investigators. He can be reached by e-mail at burke@choice.net, via the Web site www.
`rxdiversion.com, or by phone at 513-336-0070.
`
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