New alliance to fight abuse of prescription medications

Chain Drug Review, Feb 27, 2006

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Purdue Pharma LP and Denver Health have entered into an agreement on a national surveillance system to monitor the abuse and diversion of prescription medications.

Denver Health's Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center (RMPDC) has acquired the Researched Abuse, Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance (RADARS) system, a research-based monitoring program designed to study the abuse and diversion of hydrocodone, methadone, oxycodone and other controlled prescription medications.

With the guidance of an external and independent panel of experts Purdue established RADARS in June 2001 in order to obtain quantitative information on the relative rates of abuse and diversion of such medicines, which are commonly prescribed for pain.

RMPDC will make RADARS data available to industry and government stakeholders by subscription. The new arrangement is expected to allow pharmaceutical firms and government regulatory and health agencies to gain access to timely, quantitative and geographically specific data on the diversion and abuse of selected prescription medications.

Although RADARS complements publicly available monitoring systems, it is said to be the first effort to study both the diversion and abuse of specific opioid analgesics on a national scale.

"The RADARS system is one of the most comprehensive surveillance systems available for gathering this type of data," relates RMPDC director Richard Dart. "It has established a scientific foundation for developing more effective prevention and intervention efforts to address illegal trafficking and abuse of prescription medications."

David Haddox, vice president of risk management and health at Purdue, believes that the transfer of the system to a third party will allow drug companies and government agencies to more readily access data on opioid abuse and diversion.

"Purdue intends to continue to receive data by subscription to RADARS in order to inform and enhance our risk-management programs," points out Haddox.