Va. Doctor Defends Opiate Prescriptions

By MATTHEW BARAKAT
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - A pain management doctor charged with drug trafficking acknowledged Monday he prescribed unusually high doses of opiates for some patients, but maintained it was always for a medical reason.

William E. Hurwitz is accused by federal prosecutors of knowingly prescribing addictive drugs to dealers and prescribing such massive amounts to legitimate patients that two died of overdoses.

Hurwitz, arrested in September, could face a life prison sentence if convicted of the most serious counts against him.

Taking the stand Monday, Hurwitz said he knew some patients were drug abusers, but felt compelled to continue treating them with drugs like OxyContin - or at the very least to refrain from abruptly canceling their prescriptions.

``Abrupt termination of these medicines is tantamount to torture,'' Hurwitz said.

Hurwitz frequently prescribed 100 tablets or more a day of OxyContin tablets for patients with chronic pain as they developed tolerance to lesser doses. Court testimony indicated at least one patient received a prescription for 1,600 pills a day.

Some patients were allegedly using the prescriptions to deal drugs; many have struck plea bargains and testified against him.

Hurwitz said he did not know any of his patients were dealers.

Expert witnesses have testified for both the prosecution and defense, differing on whether Hurwitz's prescriptions were medically justified. Among those to testify on Hurwitz's behalf was Russell Portenoy, chairman of the pain management department at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.

Hurwitz treated nearly 500 patients from 39 states from the late 1990s through 2002.

His trial is expected to go to the jury this week.

12/06/04 22:06