Purdue argued that the patented Contin coating on a dose of OxyContin would obviate the risk of addiction. The whole principle of addiction to opioids was premised on the idea of peaks and troughs—of dose and withdrawal, euphoric high followed by the onset of craving. But because the controlled-release coating caused the drug to filter slowly into the bloodstream, over the course of twelve hours, the patient would not experience the immediate rush of an instant-release drug and, as a result, would not be whipsawed between high and withdrawal.
