Sunday, April 06, 2008

Database puts the squeeze on addicts who rob pharmacies

From the Seattle Post Intelligencer:
Just weeks before last Christmas, Nicholas A. Dent fed his addiction to painkillers through a relentless show of force. In 10 days, he robbed a dozen pharmacies for OxyContin pills before stepping in front a security camera that revealed his identity to police.

Dent, 28, is one of many drug addicts over the past few years behind a spike of violence against pharmacies.

Federal authorities went after the pharmaceutical company making the painkiller, Purdue Pharma, for misleading doctors about the drug's addictiveness. The company was made to pay more than $600 million in fines.

But Purdue has also joined police and crime-prevention groups to stop addicts with a heavy dose of information technology.

Early last month, police officers and pharmacists in the Seattle area were introduced to RxPatrol, a nationwide database of robberies, break-ins and forged prescriptions at pharmacies. ...more

1 comment:

Marianne Skolek said...

Purdue Pharma, criminally convicted for misleading physicians and patients into believing that OxyContin was less likely to be addictive and abused -- and their CEO's Michael Friedman, Howard Udell and Paul Goldenheim -- all pled guilty to the charges. Their actions resulted in a modern day Holocaust of addiction and death in every state in the country - as well as Canada - and they form an organization and name it RX Patrol to offer rewards for pharmacy break-ins. Why don't we just ask Charles Manson to help America's Most Wanted track felons to restore his reputation? Give me a break. Marianne Skolek, Activist for Victims of OxyContin and Purdue Pharma, a criminally convicted pharmaceutical company