Pharmacy-related theft of controlled substances: RxPATROL® findings

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology and Drug Abuse
• Criminology and Law Enforcement
• Public Health and Pharmacy Security

Background:

• The original formulation of OxyContin (oxycodone hydrochloride) extended-release tablets was associated with high rates of diversion and abuse.
• In August 2010, Purdue Pharma L.P. reformulated OxyContin to include abuse-deterrent properties, aiming to reduce its misuse.
• Understanding the impact of this reformulation on pharmacy-related theft is crucial for public safety and drug control strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze pharmacy theft data from the Rx Pattern Analysis Tracking Robberies and Other Losses (RxPATROL®) database.
• To compare theft incidents involving OxyContin and other oxycodone products before (2007-2010) and after (2011-2016) the 2010 reformulation.
• To characterize the types of incidents, drugs involved, and pharmacy security features associated with these thefts.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the RxPATROL® database to identify and analyze pharmacy theft incidents.
• Categorized incidents by type (robbery, burglary), drug involved (OxyContin, other oxycodone), and pharmacy security features.
• Compared data from the pre-reformulation period (2007-2010) with the post-reformulation period (2011-2016).

Main Results:

• A total of 6,905 pharmacy theft incidents were reported between 2007 and 2016.
• Robbery and burglary were the most common incident types.
• Incidents involving OxyContin significantly decreased after the 2010 reformulation, with a notable drop in robberies from 296 in 2010 to 13 in 2016. Burglary reports involving OxyContin also declined post-2009. These decreases were not solely attributable to general trends in pharmacy robberies or burglaries.

Conclusions:

• The reformulation of OxyContin in 2010 with abuse-deterrent properties was associated with a significant decrease in pharmacy thefts of the drug.
• The observed reduction in OxyContin-specific thefts suggests the reformulation's effectiveness in deterring illicit acquisition.
• Pharmacy thefts often occurred on weekdays, with perpetrators entering through the front door of pharmacies lacking robust security measures like alarms and cameras.