OxyContin drug-maker Purdue Pharma announced Friday it will temporarily stop shipment of its highest-dosage pill.

        “That would be the most dangerous if it got into an experimenting teen-ager's hands,” said Purdue Pharma spokesman Robin Hogen.

        “A small fraction of patients take (160 milligrams), yet it's out there in the market and it could fall into the wrong hands. And it very well could be a fatal mistake.”

        The announcement comes days before the first meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General Prescription Drug Task Force.

        Members will meet at 1 p.m. Monday in Washington, D.C., to develop strategies to stop the illegal use of prescription drugs — especially OxyContin — through increased coordination of law enforcement efforts and community education initiatives.

        Task force members will hear from representatives of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Purdue Pharma, and other experts.

        Purdue officials said Friday that although law enforcement officials say 40-milligram pills are the most often abused, the company voluntarily stopped distribution of the highest-dosage pills because they are concerned about the possible

        abuse of the tablets.

        Fewer than 1 percent of patients who are prescribed OxyContin take the 160-milligram pills. The medication comes in five dosages — 10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 milligrams. The highest dosage was created to help patients suffering from the most severe, persistent pain.

        Dr. Neil Jobalia, a local pain management specialist, has patients who take the 160-milligram dosage and believes limiting the drug is not the answer. Purdue Pharma's move, he said, will not change his prescribing practices. Education, strong monitoring of patients and coordination among physicians, pharmacies and law enforcement officials is the answer.

        “Taking 160 off the market is of no consequence to me,” he said. “I'm just going to use the 80s and use more pills.”

        Company officials said they do not know how long the suspension will last.

        “It will certainly be a couple of months,” Mr. Hogen said. “It could be the balance of the year. We're going to play it by ear.”

        In a released statement, company officials said that while Purdue Pharma regrets that the decision might burden some patients, on balance the action is the right thing to do.

        OxyContin is a synthetic narcotic prescribed for moderate to severe pain management and is administered in time-release pills.

        The drug, which abusers crush and then either snort or inject, was introduced in 1995 and has generated more than $600 million in revenue in 2000 as a legitimate prescription product.

        It gained national attention after a massive February drug bust in eastern Kentucky resulted in more than 200 arrests. The pill, whose street value is often more than $1 per milligram, produces a high described as greater than that from heroin.

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