Oxycodone has been marketed in combination products with aspirin and acetaminophen (Percodan® and Percocet® ) for many years. Diversion and abuse of these products continue. However, because they contain these other ingredients and only 5 to 10mg of oxycodone, they are primarily abused orally. While prescriptions for oxycodone combination products have increased during the period from 1996 to 2000, prescriptions for oxycodone single entity products (such as OxyContin® ) have increased over fourteen-fold.

OxyContin® has become a target for diverters and abusers of controlled substances because of the larger amounts of the active ingredient in relation to other previous oxycodone products and the ability of abusers to easily compromise the controlled release formulation. Simply crushing the tablet can negate the timed effect of the drug, enabling abusers to swallow, inhale, or inject the drug, which is water soluble, for a powerful morphine-like high.

Common means of OxyContin® diversion are fraudulent prescriptions, doctor shopping, over-prescribing, and pharmacy theft. There have been many instances of pharmacies being robbed strictly for their supply of OxyContin® . Investigations have uncovered organized rings of individuals diverting, selling and abusing OxyContin® . Intelligence has also shown that foreign diversion is another source of the OxyContin® being sold and used illegally in the United States.