Stories in the series:

Part One: An epidemic of abuse sweeps Southwest Virginia

One life saved, another ruined
June 10, 2001
Since OxyContin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1995 as a treatment for moderate to severe pain, it has become both an effective painkiller and a devastating pain-maker.

Angel of life and death
June 10, 2001
Less than two years after OxyContin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, addicts and recreational drug users began to abuse the drug with devastating results.

Lee County is the epicenter of abuse
June 10, 2001
OxyContin has been linked to at least six fatal overdoses and a surge in crime.

Part Two-When doctors turn into drug pushers

Doctors or Dealers
June 11, 2001
Although most doctors prescribe medication responsibly, law enforcement officials say it takes only a few who don't to supply a large number of addicts.

Purdue Pharma supplies most forms of OxyContin in the United States
June 11, 2001
There have been meetings of physicians, underwritten by Purdue and other drug companies, to discuss the safe use of OxyContin for pain managment.

Part Three-The addicts, and the legitimate patients

The Pill Takers
June 12, 2001
Three days a week, Bill and Melanie Brooks drive 110 miles to Knoxville, Tenn., to receive a methadone treatment.

Legitimate patients fear drug might be recalled
June 12, 2001
Some are concerned that news coverage actually is contributing to the problem by alerting potential drug users about a new high to seek.

Ferrum baby treated for OxyContin overdose, hospital officials say
June 12, 2001Her grandparents took the 16-month-old girl to the hospital when they noticed breathing problems.

Stephanie Klein-Davis/The Roanoke Times

At the center of the OxyContin controversey is Dr. Cecil Byron Knox. He and his wife, Donna, enter Roanoke courtroom on Sept. 8, 2003 with their two children.

Date set for 2nd Knox trial
April 15, 2004

Painkiller prescriptions and overdoses up significantly in region
March 28, 2004

Judge drops all charges against defendant in Knox case
March 9, 2004

One defendant may be cut in Knox trial
March 5, 2004

Knox co-defendant seeks appointed lawyer
Feb. 13, 2004

Pain doctor, associates new trial to be in Roanoke
Jan. 31, 2004

OxyContin study fails to link abuse to marketing
Jan. 23, 2004

New charges pile up on pain doctor
Jan. 22, 2004

Former patient blames Dr. Knox for his addiction
Dec. 4, 2003

Trial date set for Knox associates
Nov. 18, 2003

Knox juror: 1 vote keeps serious charges alive
Nov. 7, 2003

Chart: Charges Knox defendants still face
Nov. 7, 2003

Judge wants to move Knox trial to Lynchburg
Nov. 6, 2003

Jury finds pain specialist not guilty on many charges
Nov. 1, 2003

Supporters celebrate verdict
Nov. 1, 2003

Jury unable to reach decicion
Oct. 31, 2003

Ribbons, stars signify intensity of Knox case
Oct. 30, 2003

Jury to begin deliberations today
Oct. 23, 2003

Closing arguments given in Knox case
Oct. 22, 2003

Supporters say Knox cared about patients, families
Oct. 21, 2003

Knox says he believed his patients,not others' words, about drug use
Oct. 18, 2003

Knox defends care of patients
Oct. 17, 2003

Knox takes stand and testifies in his own defense
Oct. 16, 2003

Witness testifies Knox worked within limits
Oct. 15, 2003

Knox trial may be long, but it's been quite a ride
Oct. 12, 2003

Some charges dropped against Knox
Oct. 10, 2003

Woman in Knox trial cleared of all charges
Oct. 9, 2003

Former receptionist testifies in Knox case
Oct. 8, 2003

Incongruity in documents puts witness' testimony in question during Knox trial
Oct. 2, 2003

Charges against doctors rise across U.S.
Sept. 29, 2003

Forensic experts testify in Knox case
Sept. 26, 2003

Ex-patients of Dr. Knox testify they lied to him
Sept. 25, 2003

Testimony undermines 12 charges in Knox trial
Sept. 24, 2003

Sister: Some saw Dr. Knox as a 'savior'
Sept. 18, 2003

Ex-patient's son, wife testify in doctor's trial
Sept. 17, 2003

Former patient testifies in Knox trial
Sept. 16, 2003

Knox case ensnares former associates
Sept. 14, 2003

Testimony begins in pain doctor's trial
Sept. 11, 2003

Pain specialist fit to assist in his defense, judge says
Sept. 9, 2003

Roanoke pain specialist's trial likely to focus on scope of legitimate medical practices
Sept. 7, 2003

Judge postpones Knox trial indefinately
Jan. 1, 2003

Illness leads to delay in doctor's trial
Dec. 21, 2002

Judge won't delay trial of pain specialist
Dec. 5, 2002

Judge ponders purpose of seeking new charges
Nov. 19, 2002

Doctor indicted on 313 drug charges
Oct. 11, 2002

Jury recommends life sentence for OxyContin addict
Oct. 10, 2002

Former prison guard receives 12 years for selling OxyContin
Aug 30, 2002

OxyContin substitute stalled
June 19, 2002

U.S. Senate questions Purdue Pharma
Feb. 13, 2002

FDA opens hearings on OxyContin,painkillers, similar drugs
Jan. 31, 2002

Lawmakers delay decision on database of drug addicts
Jan. 30, 2002

OxyContin database proposed by panel
Dec. 19, 2001

Virginia's death rate linked to oxycodone increases 'astronomically' within year
Dec. 18, 2001

Doctor sentenced for giving OxyContin
A Southwest Virginia physician was sentenced Thursday to 70 months in prison for prescribing drugs to abusers.
Nov. 30, 2001

Seeing OxyContin abuse firsthand pushes St. Charles doctor's petition
Dr. Art Van Zee says he has seen too many people hurt -- or killed -- by using the painkiller OxyContin.
Nov. 26, 2001

Pharmacist admitted theft of steroid pills,federal agent testifies
She is a suspect in OxyContin case
Nov. 1, 2001

Plaintiffs drop doctor from OxyContin suit
Oct. 10, 2001

5 plead guilty to taking part in OxyContin ring
One of the Lee County residents who pleaded guilty faces up to life in prison.
Oct. 3, 2001

7 plead guilty in OxyContin ring
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Hurt, who prosecuted the case, said many of the pills were coming from Mexico, where the market is largely unregulated.
Sept. 26, 2001

OxyContin hearings postponed
The Food and Drug Administration has postponed a two-day hearing that was expected to focus on the prescription painkiller OxyContin.
Sept. 13, 2001

FDA to hold OxyContin hearings
Critics of the painkiller say its devastating effect is spreading beyond the isolated areas where misuse first surfaced.
Sept. 9, 2001

New state law takes on OxyContin
A special grand jury, under a law effective July 1, will be able to compel testimony from lower-level drug dealers and users.
Sept. 9, 2001

Many OxyContin deaths may be suicides
The deputy attorney general said that the typical victim of oxycodone abuse is not the same as a hard-core user.
August 30, 2001

OxyContin dealer gets 13-1/2-year term in killing
The judge declined to reduce the murder charge against Robert Stallard to manslaughter after Stallard gave yet another account of what happened.
August 29, 2001

OxyContin under microscope
A statewide prescription monitoring program was one of the ideas discussed by the state task force.
August 24, 2001

Carilion expands help for addicts
One-third of outpatients seen daily at Carilion St. Albans Hospital near Radford are trying to kick OxyContin.
August 17, 2001

OxyContin addictive even with legal use,lawsuits now claim The legal arguments may focus on whether Purdue Pharma provided adequate warnings about a drug that has an abuse liability similar to morphine.
August 12, 2001

Drug maker to change recipe Purdue Pharma has spent millions researching ways to make a medication that cannot be converted into a street drug.
August 9, 2001

Conn. attorney general blasts OxyContin He recommends that only certain physicians and certain pharmacies be allowed to prescribe the painkiller.
August 7, 2001

Sen. Warner seeks OxyContin hearing The Senate's Health Committee oversees the Food and Drug Administration, which approved OxyContin in 1995. August 1, 2001

FDA gives OxyContin advisory Manufacturer Purdue Pharma is sending letters to more than 800,000 health-care professionals explaining the changes.
July 26, 2001

Drug user guilty of murder Authorities say it is possibly the first time in the country that someone has been charged with felony-murder in an OxyContin overdose.
July 24, 2001

Doctor convicted for narcotic prescriptions Dr. Freeman Lowell Clark is the fifth Southwest Virginia doctor convicted of writing illegal prescriptions in two years.
July 18, 2001

Company prepares to fight OxyContin lawsuit Purdue Pharma, the maker of the powerful painkiller, filed documents to have the suit transferred to U.S. District Court.
July 12, 2001

Pulaski is hoping fingerprints will curb OxyContin abuse The system's manufacturer said Pulaski is the only town using the invisible fingerprint system to target OxyContin abuse.
July 10, 2001

OxyContin lawsuit aims for class-action status Purdue Pharma, maker of the drug, said the suit's allegations are "completely baseless."
June 19, 2001