Testing OxyContin on first-graders presents dangers for kids but it’s good for business

Keep out of reach

It must be nice.

I’m sure you’ve heard how Vegas casinos treat high rollers. Big gamblers get comped on the finest rooms, meals and seats to sold-out shows.

We can only imagine, right?

That’s also how the FDA treats drug companies that produce blockbuster drugs. Only the best for their high roller buddies.

For instance, the agency provides some sweet loopholes for drugs about to lose patent protection.

That’s where OxyContin is right now. The patent on this notoriously addictive painkiller runs out in April. So Perdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, is pulling out the stops to keep the gravy train running at top speed.

Just one problem… Perdue’s plan could make it easier for doctors to use OxyContin on very young patients.

This is a travesty! Children don’t even NEED access to this drug that packs so much potential danger. But if Perdue executives get their way, the company will make a cool billion and more.

Pain, pain go away

Perdue Pharma doesn’t have the household-name status of Merck or Pfizer. But OxyContin does.

Nicknamed “hillbilly heroin,” it’s a potent, widely abused opioid. And that abuse takes a deadly toll. Cocaine and heroin overdoses combined don’t come close to the thousands of yearly overdoses linked to prescription painkillers.

OxyContin sales reap billions every year. Of course, Perdue executives don’t want to say goodbye to all that. Not yet. That’s why they’re conducting a trial that’s testing OxyContin in children as young as six.

That’s right, they’re giving this powerful opioid to first-graders!

As I’ve mentioned before, drug-makers can extend a drug’s patent by six months if they mount a trial to study the drug in children. For some drugs, these studies provide useful data for pediatricians. But for a drug like OxyContin, this trial sure looks like nothing more than a patent-extending business strategy.

Kids simply don’t need OxyContin. There are other painkillers available that aren’t as addictive. These alternatives, such as methadone, have their problems. But when it comes to addiction dangers, OxyContin leads the pack.

Even so, Perdue’s trial goes forward. But that doesn’t mean the FDA will grant the patent extension. My fear is that if the patent does get a boost, then pediatricians will view OxyContin as a reasonable painkiller for kids.

And the math is pretty simple here. As more kids use it, addiction rates in school-age kids will likely rise. I can almost guarantee it.

I hope that when the FDA and pediatricians consider OxyContin use in kids, they’ll follow the very smart advice in the drug’s own prescribing instructions…

“Keep OxyContin in a secure place out of the reach of children.”

Sources:
“Little Addicts? Purdue Test OxyContin On Kids” Ed Silverman, Pharmalot, 7/3/12, pharmalot.com