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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently acknowledged that its evaluation of the diabetes pill Avandia confirms that as many as 60,000 to 100,000 heart attacks might be linked to its use since it came on the market eight years ago.

The confirmation comes after the release last month of an analysis led by Cleveland Clinic cardiology chief Dr. Steven Nissen concluded that Avandia raised the risk of heart attacks by 43 percent.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said on the Senate floor recently that safety watchdogs within the federal FDA “several months ago” recommended a “black box” the strongest possible warning on the drug’s label.
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Injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are facing a number of issues, ranging from delays in disability claims to medical care.

A new 544-page report by the Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission says veterans are waiting 177 days to have claims processed.

Last week, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America started running television ads blasting both the Bush administration and Congress for continuing problems with veterans’ care. Although both the Senate and House have passed separate bills significantly boosting funding for the health-care system, they’ve stalled amid bipartisan bickering between members of Congress and the White House.

Retired Lt. Gen. James Terry Scott, executive director of the disability benefits commission, told Congress this week that drastic changes are needed at Veterans Affairs and quickly. One proposal floated by some veterans’ advocates is to allow vets to have their disability claims processed immediately, with audits done later. Although this raises the risk of fraudulent claims, supporters note it’s really no different than how annual taxes are filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

David W. Gorman, executive director of the Disabled American Veterans, said the need to think outside the box is why it’s so important that President Bush give top priority to quickly finding a quality replacement for recently departed Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson and not a sort of lame duck or “placeholder.”

Gorman is right. Effective leadership is required to sort through the red tape, propose innovative solutions and deal with the White House and Congress.

Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, the Legislature needs to get moving on bills in the hopper to increase the small games of chance payout limit unchanged since 1988 that is severely hampering American Legion and VFW posts that provide various services to veterans and their families.

It’s only a small step, but anything that addresses what is fast becoming a national disgrace regarding the treatment of veterans would be welcome.

A woman walked into one of our drugstores and headed to the prescription counter. She pulled a butcher knife on the pharmacist and demanded Oxycontin.

A clerk got her license-plate number. Canton police minutes later pulled her over. She had three kids in her back seat.

THE OXY PROBLEM

Meanwhile, folks with chronic, severe pain throughout our community see Oxycontin as a godsend. It works where other narcotic analgesics fail, even with the crushing pain of advanced cancer. It floods the body with blessed relief for up to 12 hours. That’s what attracts the addicts.

On one hand, we have groups calling for a ban on this drug. On the other, we hear patients and doctors insist it is a miracle drug, superior even to morphine. This is the conundrum of Oxycontin, also known as kicker and hillbilly heroin on the street.

The drug, made by Purdue Pharma, has been around for 30 years. Some speculate that the burgeoning use of legitimate painkillers helps spawn illegal use simply due to popularity. Indeed, many Oxycontin addicts start as legitimate users.

Oxycontin taken exactly as prescribed is safe and effective. Still, it is a narcotic and addictive, requiring increasingly higher doses. Overdosing will depress breathing, resulting in death. Use with alcohol and other drugs can be very dangerous.

SPREADING FAST

Oxy’s spread is epidemic, especially among teenagers. Its “hillbilly heroin” moniker comes from its popularity among the rural poor, especially among teenagers. One federal survey indicates 12th-graders use the drug.

The drug is an underground currency, traded like money. It differs from the usual crack cocaine and heroin in that most of it comes from amateurs, not organized drug gangs. It impacts all areas of our community. This makes enforcement difficult. Oxy does not run in the usual drug circles.

OXY DIVERTED

Unlike cocaine and heroin, abuse of Oxy is fed by diversion (stealing) from legitimate sources. The most common is doctor shopping, in which an abuser fakes pain symptoms and collects the drug among a number of doctors who freely prescribe it.

Halting this diversion is the key to controlling the drug, but that involves tough choices. Seven states have passed laws requiring the tracking of Oxycontin users and monitoring of all prescriptions. These butt against privacy laws preventing use of our medical records for nonmedical purposes.

Its maker is facing liability lawsuits from addicted patients. Some states are filing suits seeking recovery of costs of treating addicts, similar to the tobacco litigation. The effect of these will be to increase the price of the drug or make it too expensive to manufacture.

If you’re taking Oxycontin, beware. Theft from medicine cabinets is common, even among family members. Keep it in a locked place.

There’s no total solution to the crime problem, but tracking of the drug may help limit its diversion to crooks. This would involve a database and serial numbers on bottles. The privacy lobby will not like it because it would list patients.

Fighting Oxycontin abuse is a challenge. The usual anti-drug plans often don’t work here.