From the Sault (Ont.) Star:
First, it takes away the pain. Then it takes over your life.
Pharmacist Jon MacDonald has seen the astonishing rise in opioid painkillers such as Oxycontin over the last decade, and welcomes changes the provincial government wants to introduce to how they're prescribed and dispensed.
"If doctors are tracked, and know they're tracked, they'll prescribe a little more responsibly. And the same for pharmacists," said MacDonald, operator of the Medicine Shoppe on Second Line West, who until this year was regional spokesperson for the Ontario Pharmacists' Asoociation.
Ontario's Health Ministry wants to use a computer tracking system that would monitor how much of a drug is going out and send alerts if a prescription is received two days in a row.
MacDonald said it shouldn't be difficult, as anyone with a health card in Ontario is already entered into a database when they get prescriptions filled. The missing link right now is that nobody is actually monitoring what's going on, he said. ...more
Showing posts with label Oxycontin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oxycontin. Show all posts
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Pharmacist at a loss
From the Sudbury Star:
Pharmacist Jason Keeping is planning on having a minimal supply of OxyContin at his pharmacies after being hit twice by robbers in the last few months.
Keeping's staff at Hanmer Medical Pharmacy was still reeling Thursday from being held up at gunpoint the day before. Keeping's other operation, Lalonde Pharmacy in Capreol, was robbed May 5.
"It's just terrible," Keeping said. "I'm sure it's going to get worse. Every pharmacy seems to be at risk right now, especially smaller pharmacies."
Five pharmacies have been held up for OxyContin since early July in Greater Sudbury.
Aside from being a safety risk for Keeping and his staff, being robbed takes a financial toll. The pills are expensive and insurance doesn't cover everything. It also creates a mountain of work. ...more
Pharmacist Jason Keeping is planning on having a minimal supply of OxyContin at his pharmacies after being hit twice by robbers in the last few months.
Keeping's staff at Hanmer Medical Pharmacy was still reeling Thursday from being held up at gunpoint the day before. Keeping's other operation, Lalonde Pharmacy in Capreol, was robbed May 5.
"It's just terrible," Keeping said. "I'm sure it's going to get worse. Every pharmacy seems to be at risk right now, especially smaller pharmacies."
Five pharmacies have been held up for OxyContin since early July in Greater Sudbury.
Aside from being a safety risk for Keeping and his staff, being robbed takes a financial toll. The pills are expensive and insurance doesn't cover everything. It also creates a mountain of work. ...more
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Abuse of prescribed opiate painkillers on rise, research shows
From CBC News:
A growing number of Canadians are becoming addicted to prescription painkillers such as Tylenol 3 and OxyContin, say researchers who fear the problem could lead to more deaths.
In many Canadian cities, more people are addicted to prescription opiates than street drugs such as heroin or cocaine, according to study published in the April issue of the Canadian Journal of Public Health.
In 2005, the majority of street drug users in main Canadian cities were non-medical users of prescription opioids, with the exception of Vancouver and Montreal, researchers found.
The study's authors estimated that there are between 321,000 and 914,000 people in Canada who are abusing prescription opioids — between one per cent and three per cent of the country's population. ...more
A growing number of Canadians are becoming addicted to prescription painkillers such as Tylenol 3 and OxyContin, say researchers who fear the problem could lead to more deaths.
In many Canadian cities, more people are addicted to prescription opiates than street drugs such as heroin or cocaine, according to study published in the April issue of the Canadian Journal of Public Health.
In 2005, the majority of street drug users in main Canadian cities were non-medical users of prescription opioids, with the exception of Vancouver and Montreal, researchers found.
The study's authors estimated that there are between 321,000 and 914,000 people in Canada who are abusing prescription opioids — between one per cent and three per cent of the country's population. ...more
Sunday, March 15, 2009
MDs, pharmacists battling drug resellers
From the Winnipeg Free Press:
Inner-city doctors and pharmacists want the province to help them crack down on prescription-drug abuse in response to the growing number of people reselling addictive painkillers such as OxyContin on the street.
Betty Edel, executive director of the Mount Carmel Clinic, said the strip of medical clinics and pharmacies along North Main Street has become a hub for the resale of prescription painkillers.
Edel said area residents and people from other Winnipeg communities are coming to North Main to fill their prescriptions and sell them to dealers who, in turn, sell the drugs for a steeper price on the street.
OxyContin is a strong narcotic that contains oxycodone and other opiates and is prescribed by physicians as a long-release painkiller. Some addiction experts call it "hillbilly heroin," since tablets containing oxycodone can be purchased for about $5 a pill, then resold by dealers. ...more
Inner-city doctors and pharmacists want the province to help them crack down on prescription-drug abuse in response to the growing number of people reselling addictive painkillers such as OxyContin on the street.
Betty Edel, executive director of the Mount Carmel Clinic, said the strip of medical clinics and pharmacies along North Main Street has become a hub for the resale of prescription painkillers.
Edel said area residents and people from other Winnipeg communities are coming to North Main to fill their prescriptions and sell them to dealers who, in turn, sell the drugs for a steeper price on the street.
OxyContin is a strong narcotic that contains oxycodone and other opiates and is prescribed by physicians as a long-release painkiller. Some addiction experts call it "hillbilly heroin," since tablets containing oxycodone can be purchased for about $5 a pill, then resold by dealers. ...more
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Man charged with painkiller fraud, theft
From United Press International:
Police in Calgary, Alberta, have charged a pharmacy worker with fraud and theft related to 15,000 missing painkiller tablets.
Constable Dan Allen told the Calgary Sun the investigation showed customers' drug plan information was used to forge prescriptions for OxyContin painkiller pills from a Shoppers Drug Mart franchise where the suspect worked as a pharmacy technician.
"He would, in one case, find perhaps a couple who have two policies: one under perhaps the male, and one under the female, and he would then bill a portion to one of the clients and a portion to the other client, which would then raise no flags for the store," Allen told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. ...more
Police in Calgary, Alberta, have charged a pharmacy worker with fraud and theft related to 15,000 missing painkiller tablets.
Constable Dan Allen told the Calgary Sun the investigation showed customers' drug plan information was used to forge prescriptions for OxyContin painkiller pills from a Shoppers Drug Mart franchise where the suspect worked as a pharmacy technician.
"He would, in one case, find perhaps a couple who have two policies: one under perhaps the male, and one under the female, and he would then bill a portion to one of the clients and a portion to the other client, which would then raise no flags for the store," Allen told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. ...more
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Task force taking group approach to opiate problem
From the Fort Francis (Ont.) Times:
With the abuse of prescription drugs like oxycontin on the rise, a community task force has been established to address the problems arising from the increasing amount of opiate addiction in Rainy River District and First Nations’ communities.
OPP Insp. Dave Lucas, who last week was appointed as the new detachment commander of the Kenora OPP, informed delegates at the Ontario Association of Police Service Boards Zone 1 semi-annual meeting here in Fort Frances that representatives from pharmacies, aboriginal agencies, counselling services, dental offices, prevention programs, police services, and health care have come together to discuss the problem—and are trying to find both short-term and long-term solutions.
Insp. Lucas admitted he didn’t know much about this kind of opiate abuse until two years ago, when it became very clear it was a problem in Rainy River District.
“I asked myself, ‘Why didn’t I know about this if it is such a huge issue?’” he remarked, adding it quickly became evident there are no regulations to control how these drugs are prescribed. ...more
With the abuse of prescription drugs like oxycontin on the rise, a community task force has been established to address the problems arising from the increasing amount of opiate addiction in Rainy River District and First Nations’ communities.
OPP Insp. Dave Lucas, who last week was appointed as the new detachment commander of the Kenora OPP, informed delegates at the Ontario Association of Police Service Boards Zone 1 semi-annual meeting here in Fort Frances that representatives from pharmacies, aboriginal agencies, counselling services, dental offices, prevention programs, police services, and health care have come together to discuss the problem—and are trying to find both short-term and long-term solutions.
Insp. Lucas admitted he didn’t know much about this kind of opiate abuse until two years ago, when it became very clear it was a problem in Rainy River District.
“I asked myself, ‘Why didn’t I know about this if it is such a huge issue?’” he remarked, adding it quickly became evident there are no regulations to control how these drugs are prescribed. ...more
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Two in Cochrane arrested, charged for pharmacy robbery spree
From the Calgary Herald:
Police have captured two Cochrane residents after they allegedly went on a robbery spree in the pursuit of OxyContin, a highly addictive painkiller.
Robert Gauthier, 33, has been charged with eight counts of robbery, eight counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of being in possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace.
Dawn Farkas, 26, has been charged with 11 counts of robbery and 10 counts of being in possession of a controlled substance.
Police say the pair may have been involved in 11 pharmacy robberies between Oct. 17, 2008 and Friday Jan. 23, 2009. Last week, authorities released photographs of the two people allegedly robbing the stores and say that brought them numerous tips, which help in the suspects' capture, officials said.
Both Farkas and Gauthier turned themselves in to police Sunday. ...more
Police have captured two Cochrane residents after they allegedly went on a robbery spree in the pursuit of OxyContin, a highly addictive painkiller.
Robert Gauthier, 33, has been charged with eight counts of robbery, eight counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of being in possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace.
Dawn Farkas, 26, has been charged with 11 counts of robbery and 10 counts of being in possession of a controlled substance.
Police say the pair may have been involved in 11 pharmacy robberies between Oct. 17, 2008 and Friday Jan. 23, 2009. Last week, authorities released photographs of the two people allegedly robbing the stores and say that brought them numerous tips, which help in the suspects' capture, officials said.
Both Farkas and Gauthier turned themselves in to police Sunday. ...more
Friday, January 23, 2009
Crime spree targeting Calgary-area pharmacies
From the Calgary Herald:
Two robbers after a highly-addictive painkiller have held up at least 10 Calgary-area pharmacies, and police are concerned they're getting more violent.
In each case, the man and woman responsible have taken oxycodone, a powerful prescription drug that has become a commodity on the illegal drug market.
Oxycodone -- sold under the commercial name OxyContin-- can be fatal if misused, but police are also concerned the couple suspected of committing the robberies poses a threat to the public as they become increasingly desperate for the drug and more aggressive toward their victims. ...more
Two robbers after a highly-addictive painkiller have held up at least 10 Calgary-area pharmacies, and police are concerned they're getting more violent.
In each case, the man and woman responsible have taken oxycodone, a powerful prescription drug that has become a commodity on the illegal drug market.
Oxycodone -- sold under the commercial name OxyContin-- can be fatal if misused, but police are also concerned the couple suspected of committing the robberies poses a threat to the public as they become increasingly desperate for the drug and more aggressive toward their victims. ...more
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Pharmacist freed on bail
This isn't exactly a positive pharmacist story, but I will try to follow it over the next while. However, with a publication ban in place, it's hard to know how much we will really be able to find out.
From the London (Ont.) Free Press:
London pharmacist charged with illegally selling pain medication was released on bail yesterday.
Gregory Melville, 44, was released on $5,000 no-deposit bail, with his wife acting as surety.
A publication ban was imposed on evidence in the case. ...more
Thursday, January 01, 2009
London pharmacist charged with drug trafficking
From the London (Ont.) Free Press:
A London pharmacist has been charged with trafficking oxycodone after his pharmacy was raided this week, police reported today.
Greg Melville, the owner of Forest City Pharmacy at the corner of Wharncliffe and Belmont roads, was charged with four counts of trafficking in oxycodone and two counts of possession of proceeds of crime, one of three people charges after searches of two homes and the pharmacy in London.
That a pharmacist would be charges is unusual, said London Const. Amy Phillipo. “We don’t come across this very often. It’s a rare occurence,” she said.
Abusers of oxycodone crush the tablets to break the time-release coating and then ingest the resulting powder orally, intra-nasally or by injection.
It’s not the first serious allegation against the 44-year-old Mellville — earlier this year, in March, he was accused of professional misconduct in a matter not yet resolved by The Ontario College of Pharmacists. ...more
A London pharmacist has been charged with trafficking oxycodone after his pharmacy was raided this week, police reported today.
Greg Melville, the owner of Forest City Pharmacy at the corner of Wharncliffe and Belmont roads, was charged with four counts of trafficking in oxycodone and two counts of possession of proceeds of crime, one of three people charges after searches of two homes and the pharmacy in London.
That a pharmacist would be charges is unusual, said London Const. Amy Phillipo. “We don’t come across this very often. It’s a rare occurence,” she said.
Abusers of oxycodone crush the tablets to break the time-release coating and then ingest the resulting powder orally, intra-nasally or by injection.
It’s not the first serious allegation against the 44-year-old Mellville — earlier this year, in March, he was accused of professional misconduct in a matter not yet resolved by The Ontario College of Pharmacists. ...more
Saturday, November 15, 2008
OxyContin maker: Pills seized in C.B. weren’t the real deal
From the Halifax Chronicle Herald:
Representatives of the company that makes the powerful prescription painkiller OxyContin flew to Sydney on Thursday to examine a vast quantity of seized pills that turned out to be knock-offs.
Police in Cape Breton seized 25,000 oxycodone tablets from a vehicle at a parking lot last week in what is considered the biggest bust of its kind in Atlantic Canada.
Staff Sgt. Paul Jobe said police are now confident the drugs, which have an estimated street value of about $700,000, are not of pharmaceutical grade.
Investigators met with drug-makers Purdue Pharma at police headquarters in Sydney where the company made a presentation on their manufacturing and security systems.
"It’s not the same quality they would produce," said Jobe. "They have a coating they put on their pills, they have a stamp they put on their pills, there’s a (certain) way they produce them."
The U.S.-based pharmaceutical company operates a facility in Pickering, Ont., and is the only maker of the brand OxyContin in Canada. There are eight other manufacturers of its generic form oxycodone, though none deal with the high milligram content found on the pills that were seized. ...more
Representatives of the company that makes the powerful prescription painkiller OxyContin flew to Sydney on Thursday to examine a vast quantity of seized pills that turned out to be knock-offs.
Police in Cape Breton seized 25,000 oxycodone tablets from a vehicle at a parking lot last week in what is considered the biggest bust of its kind in Atlantic Canada.
Staff Sgt. Paul Jobe said police are now confident the drugs, which have an estimated street value of about $700,000, are not of pharmaceutical grade.
Investigators met with drug-makers Purdue Pharma at police headquarters in Sydney where the company made a presentation on their manufacturing and security systems.
"It’s not the same quality they would produce," said Jobe. "They have a coating they put on their pills, they have a stamp they put on their pills, there’s a (certain) way they produce them."
The U.S.-based pharmaceutical company operates a facility in Pickering, Ont., and is the only maker of the brand OxyContin in Canada. There are eight other manufacturers of its generic form oxycodone, though none deal with the high milligram content found on the pills that were seized. ...more
Thursday, November 13, 2008
C.B. cops make big Oxy bust
From the Halifax Chronicle Herald:
Some 25,000 OxyContin pills were seized in a downtown parking lot Friday night in what the acting chief of Cape Breton Regional Police says could be the biggest bust of the prescription drug in Atlantic Canada.
Plastic baggies filled with the powerful pills lined a table at police headquarters Monday as Staff Sgt. Paul Jobe told reporters about the takedown.
Members of the street crime unit staked out a car in a parking lot along the Esplanade on Friday and moved in when the suspects got out, he said. A small amount of marijuana was also seized.
Christopher John Allingham of Eastern Passage and Todd Douglas Miller of the Montreal area appeared briefly in Sydney provincial court on Monday....more
Some 25,000 OxyContin pills were seized in a downtown parking lot Friday night in what the acting chief of Cape Breton Regional Police says could be the biggest bust of the prescription drug in Atlantic Canada.
Plastic baggies filled with the powerful pills lined a table at police headquarters Monday as Staff Sgt. Paul Jobe told reporters about the takedown.
Members of the street crime unit staked out a car in a parking lot along the Esplanade on Friday and moved in when the suspects got out, he said. A small amount of marijuana was also seized.
Christopher John Allingham of Eastern Passage and Todd Douglas Miller of the Montreal area appeared briefly in Sydney provincial court on Monday....more
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Pharmaceutical drugs overshadowing heroin
From the National Post:
Heroin is fast being replaced by legal pharmaceutical drugs such as OxyContin and morphine among street users of opioids, suggests a national survey of addicts that underscores the challenges and opportunities of the changing drug trade.
Users of pharmaceutical opioids are less likely to inject their narcotics, which is good for curbing infectious disease, but they are also more likely to mix them dangerously with cocaine, crack and other street drugs, the newly published study indicates.
Meanwhile, experts are struggling to understand a supply system that includes retirees peddling painkiller prescriptions and pharmaceutical company employees selling purloined stock. With Canada one of the world's biggest medical consumers of opioids, which provide users with an anesthetizing release, the abundance of legal supplies has undoubtedly fed the illicit street market, researchers say.
There is an "urgent need" to more closely investigate and comprehend the new opioid scene, says the study published this month in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review by researchers in B.C. and Toronto. ...more
Heroin is fast being replaced by legal pharmaceutical drugs such as OxyContin and morphine among street users of opioids, suggests a national survey of addicts that underscores the challenges and opportunities of the changing drug trade.
Users of pharmaceutical opioids are less likely to inject their narcotics, which is good for curbing infectious disease, but they are also more likely to mix them dangerously with cocaine, crack and other street drugs, the newly published study indicates.
Meanwhile, experts are struggling to understand a supply system that includes retirees peddling painkiller prescriptions and pharmaceutical company employees selling purloined stock. With Canada one of the world's biggest medical consumers of opioids, which provide users with an anesthetizing release, the abundance of legal supplies has undoubtedly fed the illicit street market, researchers say.
There is an "urgent need" to more closely investigate and comprehend the new opioid scene, says the study published this month in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review by researchers in B.C. and Toronto. ...more
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
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
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Doctors warn of potential dangers of OxyContin
From CTV News:
Canadian physicians are warning of the potential dangers of the prescription painkiller OxyContin following a high-profile case in which a Newfoundland and Labrador doctor was convicted of trafficking the potentially addictive narcotic.
On Monday, Dr. Sean Buckingham was convicted of five counts of sexual assault, six counts of trafficking painkillers such as OxyContin and lorazepam (sold under the name Ativan), and one count of assault.
Witnesses testified during the two-month trial that Buckingham provided them with drugs in exchange for money and sexual favours over a two-year period. ...more
Canadian physicians are warning of the potential dangers of the prescription painkiller OxyContin following a high-profile case in which a Newfoundland and Labrador doctor was convicted of trafficking the potentially addictive narcotic.
On Monday, Dr. Sean Buckingham was convicted of five counts of sexual assault, six counts of trafficking painkillers such as OxyContin and lorazepam (sold under the name Ativan), and one count of assault.
Witnesses testified during the two-month trial that Buckingham provided them with drugs in exchange for money and sexual favours over a two-year period. ...more
Monday, December 17, 2007
Pharmacists face dilemma over dispensing narcotics: provincial board
From the (Corner Brook, NF) Western Star:
Pharmacists in this province are finding themselves in a dilemma over dispensing narcotics like OxyContin, the Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Board says.
"The dilemma is you don't want to be sucked in by people abusing it," said Don Rowe, secretary-registrar of the board. "You always have to be vigilant looking for potential abuse or signs of it, but at the same time not making a legitimate customer feel like some kind of a criminal just because they have been prescribed a drug like OxyContin or Percocet or whatever."
The "sucking in" hasn't always come from only patients, as the recent conviction of St. John's physician Dr. Sean Buckingham made evident. Last week, Buckingham was convicted of 12 counts of sexual assault, assault and drug trafficking in Newfoundland Supreme Court. Buckingham, who ran a practice on Queen's Road, was found guilty of having provided several former patients with prescription drugs, including OxyContin and Ativan, in return for sexual favours....more
Pharmacists in this province are finding themselves in a dilemma over dispensing narcotics like OxyContin, the Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Board says.
"The dilemma is you don't want to be sucked in by people abusing it," said Don Rowe, secretary-registrar of the board. "You always have to be vigilant looking for potential abuse or signs of it, but at the same time not making a legitimate customer feel like some kind of a criminal just because they have been prescribed a drug like OxyContin or Percocet or whatever."
The "sucking in" hasn't always come from only patients, as the recent conviction of St. John's physician Dr. Sean Buckingham made evident. Last week, Buckingham was convicted of 12 counts of sexual assault, assault and drug trafficking in Newfoundland Supreme Court. Buckingham, who ran a practice on Queen's Road, was found guilty of having provided several former patients with prescription drugs, including OxyContin and Ativan, in return for sexual favours....more
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Solutions to oxycodone addiction
From Canoe.ca:
A Wallaceburg man gets hooked on OxyContin and helps launch a $175-million lawsuit against Purdue Pharma Canada, the maker of the drug.
City hall calls for a $3.7-million, five-year strategy on substance abuse.
Pain specialists suggest more training for family doctors.
Pharmacists ask for tools to track patients.
Addiction experts ask all of us to stop blaming the addicts.
There seem to be dozens of possible solutions to halting widespread and growing abuse of oxycodone-based painkiller drugs in London. ...more
A Wallaceburg man gets hooked on OxyContin and helps launch a $175-million lawsuit against Purdue Pharma Canada, the maker of the drug.
City hall calls for a $3.7-million, five-year strategy on substance abuse.
Pain specialists suggest more training for family doctors.
Pharmacists ask for tools to track patients.
Addiction experts ask all of us to stop blaming the addicts.
There seem to be dozens of possible solutions to halting widespread and growing abuse of oxycodone-based painkiller drugs in London. ...more
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Sex & drugs case hurts pain care: MDs
From the National Review of Medicine:
Whether St John's, NL, family physician Dr Sean Buckingham gave drug addicts opioid prescriptions in exchange for sex is for the jury in his ongoing trial to decide. But pain care physicians from across Newfoundland and Canada fear his alleged crimes have already done their damage by making MDs too afraid to prescribe strong pain meds.
Dr Buckingham was first arrested in May 2005 after a long-running investigation by police that involved wire-tapping, raids and 24-hour surveillance, called Operation Remedy. He is currently facing 23 charges, ranging from drug trafficking to sexual assault. During the last week of October, the jury heard shocking testimony from three women who allege they had sex with Dr Buckingham in exchange for prescriptions for opioids painkillers. ...more
Whether St John's, NL, family physician Dr Sean Buckingham gave drug addicts opioid prescriptions in exchange for sex is for the jury in his ongoing trial to decide. But pain care physicians from across Newfoundland and Canada fear his alleged crimes have already done their damage by making MDs too afraid to prescribe strong pain meds.
Dr Buckingham was first arrested in May 2005 after a long-running investigation by police that involved wire-tapping, raids and 24-hour surveillance, called Operation Remedy. He is currently facing 23 charges, ranging from drug trafficking to sexual assault. During the last week of October, the jury heard shocking testimony from three women who allege they had sex with Dr Buckingham in exchange for prescriptions for opioids painkillers. ...more
Monday, October 29, 2007
Pharmacists caught in the squeeze
From the London (Ont.) Free Press:
When the pharmacist leaves his store for a break, he makes sure to take off the white jacket that identifies his profession.
"I don't want people to know I am a pharmacist," he says. "I have kids coming up to me and bugging me. 'Can you get me some Oxy?' "
It can be just as tense inside the pharmacy.
Occasionally, obvious members of outlaw motorcycle clubs have come in with legitimate doctor's prescriptions for large amounts of OxyContin, he says.
Rather than question them or the doctor, he has filled them out. ...more
When the pharmacist leaves his store for a break, he makes sure to take off the white jacket that identifies his profession.
"I don't want people to know I am a pharmacist," he says. "I have kids coming up to me and bugging me. 'Can you get me some Oxy?' "
It can be just as tense inside the pharmacy.
Occasionally, obvious members of outlaw motorcycle clubs have come in with legitimate doctor's prescriptions for large amounts of OxyContin, he says.
Rather than question them or the doctor, he has filled them out. ...more
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Atlantic Canadians sue makers of OxyContin
From CTV News:
More Canadians who became addicted to OxyContin are taking the maker of the painkiller to court claiming the company undersold its addictive side effects.
A class-action lawsuit, claiming Purdue Pharma L.P. knew of OxyContin's addictiveness, is to be launched in Nova Scotia Supreme Court next week.
"I'd like to see the people that made it and made money off of it be held accountable for it," George Bellefontaine told CTV Newsnet. "Why should they get rich off of hurting people?"
Bellefontaine, who is joining the suit, said he became addicted to the drug when it was prescribed to him after a car accident four years ago. ...more
More Canadians who became addicted to OxyContin are taking the maker of the painkiller to court claiming the company undersold its addictive side effects.
A class-action lawsuit, claiming Purdue Pharma L.P. knew of OxyContin's addictiveness, is to be launched in Nova Scotia Supreme Court next week.
"I'd like to see the people that made it and made money off of it be held accountable for it," George Bellefontaine told CTV Newsnet. "Why should they get rich off of hurting people?"
Bellefontaine, who is joining the suit, said he became addicted to the drug when it was prescribed to him after a car accident four years ago. ...more
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