Pain-Treating Doctor Found Guilty of Drug Charges

A pain-management doctor who frequently prescribed high doses of opiates to patients across the country was convicted Wednesday of drug trafficking in the fatal overdose of one patient.

A federal jury also convicted William E. Hurwitz, 59, of conspiracy and drug distribution charges while acquitting him of some other counts.

The jurors remained undecided on still more charges and were to resume deliberations today.

Three of 50 counts on which Hurwitz was found guilty, distributing drugs resulting in one fatal and two nonfatal overdoses, carry sentences of 20 years to life in prison, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Mark Lytle.

During the trial, Hurwitz testified he knew some of his patients were drug abusers who were illegally taking cocaine or abusing his prescriptions.

However, Hurwitz said he felt compelled to continue treating patients with drugs such as OxyContin because abruptly terminating their prescriptions would be “tantamount to torture.”

Hurwitz frequently prescribed 100 tablets or more of OxyContin for his patients as they developed tolerance to lesser doses.

Court testimony indicated at least one patient received a prescription for 1,600 pills a day.

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

The jury acquitted Hurwitz on some charges: six counts of distributing a controlled substance, one count of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise and two counts of scheming to defraud a healthcare program.

The jury still must rule on a charge of distributing drugs leading to the death of another patient, one count of distributing drugs resulting in a nonfatal overdose and one count of distributing a controlled substance.