Pubdate: Tue, 04 Nov 2003
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2003 Globe Newspaper Company
Contact:  http://www.boston.com/globe/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52
Author: Suzanne Sataline

OXYCONTIN MAKERS GIVE GRANT TO BOSTON

The makers of OxyContin, the controversial pain medication that has been 
linked to widespread abuse, yesterday gave Boston a $125,000 grant to 
educate teenagers on the hazards of prescription drugs, part of an ongoing 
national campaign that some health organizations have tried to bar from 
their communities.

Along with the money, drug company Purdue Pharma L.P. is distributing a 
health curriculum called "Painfully Obvious" that warns young people about 
the dangers of misusing medications.

With the grant, Boston's Public Health Commission will hire two educators 
and one trainer, said Barbara Ferrer, deputy health director. The focus 
will be on reaching out to teenagers who are trying risky behaviors such as 
drug abuse. Ferrer said the commission has also received larger grants from 
drug companies Merck Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline.

OxyContin, made from the opiate oxycodone, is a powerful medication hailed 
as a breakthrough in fighting pain. But its use -- even lawfully -- has 
resulted in many cases of abuse, addiction, and overdoses. Last month 
conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh admitted to being addicted to the 
painkiller. Purdue Pharma, of Stamford, Conn., made $1.5 billion in 
OxyContin sales in 2001.

Boston is the first major city to which Purdue Pharma has donated money. 
Previous grants have been distributed in Maine, Ohio, South Carolina, and 
West Virginia, said Clay Yeager, the company's director of community 
partnerships.

"Certainly we're aware that people are abusing our product," said Yeager, 
Pennsylvania's former juvenile justice director. "Do we have a role to play 
in warning about the potential consequences of abusing prescription drugs? 
Yes, that's what we're doing."

Some health advocates said Purdue is on a public relations mission, 
following in the footsteps of the alcohol and tobacco industries, in 
preaching responsibility.

But ad campaigns such as "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk," and 
Purdue's "The effects of abusing prescription drugs are painfully obvious," 
do not explain to children the effects -- long and short-term -- of abusing 
these legal substances, said Rhonda Ramsey Molina, president of the 
Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati and an outspoken critic of the 
company's education initiatives.

Purdue's message is preachy, not educational, Molina said. Molina's 
organization has urged communities not to use Purdue's materials. "The 
`Painfully Obvious' campaign is in no way based on the principles of 
effective prevention," she said.

Substance abuse centers in Oregon and Kentucky also have recommended that 
communities reject the material, with Kentucky's Division of Substance 
Abuse echoing those concerns, said Amy Weber, prevention center director of 
North Key Community Care, a mental health center in Northern Kentucky.

A 2000-2001 national health survey found that New England had some of the 
highest rates of illicit drug use in the nation, with Vermont leading in 
most age groups.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens