Purdue and OxyContin: A timeline
- Share via
1996: Purdue introduces OxyContin for pain management.
2002: Amid growing reports of addiction and overdose deaths associated with OxyContin, Purdue launches an internal program to identify potential reckless prescribers.
2007: Purdue pays more than $600 million to settle government charges that it trained its sales representatives to mislead physicians about the risks of addiction and overdose from OxyContin.
2010: A tamper-resistant reformulation of OxyContin is released.
2013: A Purdue scientist attends a conference on drug dependency and presents a study of suspected risky prescribers. The study concludes that a small number of physicians may be responsible for a “substantial portion” of painkillers being diverted to the streets.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
