Woman Claims Oxycontin Manufacturers' Promotional Campaign Misrepresented Drug's Dangers

SHREVEPORT, La.-A lawsuit filed by a woman who allegedly spent 21 days in a detoxification program following her discontinuation of Oxycontin claims that the manufacturers' aggressive marketing campaign consisted of misrepresentations about the drug's ability to induce dependency. Bartch v. P.F. Laboratories, Inc., et al., No. CV-02-2021 (W.D. La.).

Plaintiff Barbara Bartch states that she received Methadone treatment during her stay at Doctors Hospital Detoxification Unit to help her cope with withdrawal symptoms that included tachycardia, abnormal cramping, nervousness and 'the sensation that her skin was crawling.' The symptoms developed two weeks after she discontinued her prescription to Oxycontin, the …