Synthesis

A German pharmaceutical company, Bayer, developed heroin in 1874 in hopes that it would be less addictive than morphine. But, by 1913, Bayer had to stop mass producing heroin due to its highly addictive qualities. In another attempt to create a less addictive painkiller, Bayer created oxycodone. Oxycodone was first synthesized from thebaine in 1916. Oxycodone was created to have the same pain relieving qualities, but without the addictive, euphoric feeling.

Marketing Debut

OxyContin®, a time release form of oxycodone, was approved by the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) in 1995. At the time, there was little to no concern about the abuse of this drug. Oxycodone was released to the markets as OxyContin® in 1996 by the company, Purdue Pharma L.P. This is when reports came in about illicit use and abuse of OxyContin®.

Abuse

In the 1960s, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime classified oxycodone as a dangerous drug in The Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. Abuse in the United States has been growing since the early 1960s. Then, the United States classified oxycodone as a Schedule II drug. There was no concern for abuse until 1996, when OxyContin® was marketed and distributed. At first, only Maine, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Maryland reported increases in the abuse of OxyContin®. Now, abuse of the drug has expanded throughout the United States.