Defective Drugs – OxyContin

OxyContin is a highly addictive painkiller which has become notorious in the pharmaceutical market. Manufactured by Purdue Pharmaceuticals and Abbot Laboratories, the drug has been the subject of several litigation claims in the past.

OxyContin is the brand name of a prescription painkilling drug that contains oxycodone hydrochloride. Oxycodone hydrochloride is a powerful narcotic and part of the opioid family, which means the drug is derived from the opium poppy and is similar to morphine and heroin. Opioids have a much higher pain relief potential and can provide up to four times the pain relief of aspirin and ibuprofen. They are generally prescribed for patients with severe chronic pain. OxyContin tablets are designed with a time-release mechanism that allows the drug to be slowly and steadily released, creating a longer period of pain relief of up to 12 hours.

However, since OxyContin is basically an opiate, it is highly addictive and patients who take OxyContin every day develop a tolerance to the drug and require higher and higher doses to achieve relief from pain. Over time, patients can develop a physical dependency to the drug and withdrawal symptoms can be as severe as those experienced by addicts coming off heroin. In fact, the illegal use of OxyContin has become an epidemic in many areas of the United States. Chewing or crushing the tablets and either snorting or injecting them bypasses the time-release mechanism, delivering the opiate all at once and producing a feeling of euphoria similar to that produced by heroin. The fact that OxyContin is a pharmaceutical grade narcotic makes it attractive to potential abusers, because, unlike heroin, they can be sure of what they are buying.

Several suits have already been filed against Purdue Pharmaceuticals and Abbot Laboratories by patients who have become addicted to OxyContin. Some patients have had to either go through the painful process of slowly weaning themselves off the drug or have become so tolerant to it that they have to take life-threatening doses to achieve any relief for their chronic pain. In other cases people have just overdosed on the drug.
If you or a family member has been incorrectly prescribed OxyContin or have developed a harmful dependency from reasonable use of this drug you may have grounds for bringing a case of litigation against the company.