Purdue has come up with a new Oxycontin – one that they hope will be less liable for abuse.   However it is unlikely to assume that they are willing to lose any of their 2 billion dollar yearly revenue, which in part, must be addiction driven.

Whether they are prescribed in pain clinics or on the street, every Oxycontin has a price and one way or another the money goes to Purdue.

Unless we have a country which has suddenly developed a lot of pain the entire subject of Oxycontin needs to be reviewed – just not the coating.

A new version of Purdue Pharma’s powerful painkiller OxyContin provided limited protection against abuse, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The Associated Press reported Sept. 22 that the new pills, with a plastic-like coating, are not foolproof but “may provide an advantage over the currently available OxyContin.” Purdue Pharma says the coating makes the drug harder to crush for the purposes of snorting or injection.

The company is currently seeking FDA approval for the new OxyContin pills. Purdue Pharma, which sold $2 billion worth of the drug last year, said that if approved the new version of OxyContin will become the only one available on the market.

http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2009/some-benefits-seen-in-abuse.html