OxyContin and Heroin Facts—FDA Testimony
On May 5, 2009, the FDA invited Novus to provide testimony before a special FDA committee that was investigating what Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategies (“REMS”) to impose on dangerous prescription narcotics like OxyContin.
During our testimony, we stated that this is known about heroin and OxyContin:
Heroin was initially advertised as being less addictive than morphine and widely promoted in the United States for the treatment of pain and respiratory problems;
Because of its addictive qualities, heroin was made illegal in 1914;
OxyContin was released to the public in 1995;
Purdue Pharma, maker of Oxycontin, pled guilty to lying to the FDA, doctors and the public in 2007;
Purdue Pharma’s influential friends saw to it that OxyContin stayed on the market even though equal application of the law required that Purdue Pharma not be allowed to do business with the government;
Heroin and OxyContin are molecularly almost identical;
Heroin and OxyContin operate in the same manner in the body;
Heroin and OxyContin are interchangeable and addicts regularly use the one that is available;
OxyContin is easily obtained from a number of doctors who prescribe it for any excuse as long as the patient can pay for the office visit;
According to the studies cited in the March 2008 issue of Pain Physician, use of narcotics like OxyContin in the treatment of non-cancer pain patients has little benefit and many side effects.
Our question was: “Why Is Heroin Illegal and OxyContin Legal?”
“One of our patients, a former heroin addict who used OxyContin when he couldn’t get heroin and heroin when he couldn’t get OxyContin, but preferred OxyContin even though it was more expensive because it was safer, asked, ‘Why is heroin illegal and OxyContin legal?’”
There was silence from the panel and, unfortunately, there was no way that they could be compelled to answer.
