[rattray]

Relevant excerpts from the linked article:

> when it doesn’t last, patients can experience excruciating symptoms of withdrawal, including an intense craving for the drug.

> Even before OxyContin went on the market, clinical trials showed many patients weren’t getting 12 hours of relief.

> OxyContin’s market dominance and its high price — up to hundreds of dollars per bottle — hinge on its 12-hour duration. Without that, it offers little advantage over less expensive painkillers.

> Purdue tells doctors to prescribe stronger doses, not more frequent ones, when patients complain that OxyContin doesn’t last 12 hours.

> Research shows that the more potent the dose of an opioid such as OxyContin, the greater the possibility of overdose and death.