OxyContin

OxyContin is a prescription medicine in the form of extended-release tablets containing the potent opioid oxycodone, used for moderate to severe pain. The product was developed and marketed by the American company Purdue Pharma, and it is the drug at the centre of one of the largest pharmaceutical court cases of recent times. In the case against Purdue Pharma, in which the company pleaded guilty to federal charges in the United States in 2020, OxyContin was the focal point. The allegation was that Purdue Pharma deliberately misled healthcare professionals about the preparation's potential for dependence and actively promoted excessive use, contributing to a massive opioid crisis with hundreds of thousands of deaths in the United States over decades.

In a Danish and European context, OxyContin is a lawful prescription medicine regulated under the ordinary rules governing medicines and controlled substances. It may only lawfully be dispensed on the basis of a medical prescription. Without a prescription, possession of and trade in the preparation is unlawful and may be prosecuted criminally. In criminal contexts, OxyContin — like other opioids — features in illegal trade, including via the illicit market, and authorities have identified counterfeit tablets as a distinct problem, since these may contain dangerous substances such as fentanyl in unknown quantities.

In a true crime context, the term is used primarily for the brand that symbolises Purdue Pharma's role in the opioid crisis and the subsequent wave of civil lawsuits and criminal cases against the company and its owner family, the Sackler family.