A new version of the painkiller OxyContin, designed to be harder to abuse, will be evaluated Monday by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel to determine if the reformulated version should be allowed on the market before long-term studies determine if it actually reduces abuse.

THURSDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- Doctor's offices and clinics can help prevent the abuse of powerful narcotic painkillers such as Oxycontin or Vicodin by following a stricter policy -- including urine testing --- before dispensing the medications to patients, new research suggests.

Federal investigators have cleared two doctors in California and Texas of any wrongdoing in the death of actor Heath Ledger.

The Drug Enforcement Agency interviewed the doctors earlier this week about prescriptions found in Ledger’s apartment and determined they did not prescribe him the two most powerful drugs – Oxycontin and Vicodin, the New York Post reports. The doctors did meet with Ledger but prescribed him other medications, according to investigators.

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