Pain medication missing at eastern Indiana prison

NEW CASTLE, Ind. (AP) - The Indiana Department of Correction says more than 8,000 doses of a frequently abused pain medication are missing from an eastern Indiana prison.

Department spokesman Isaac Randolph says officials discovered in mid-December that doses of gabapentin went missing over the course missing of two months at the New Castle Correctional Facility. He says the location of the medication behind a locked door has since been changed.

The Indianapolis Star reports the non-opioid medication is used to treat nerve pain and seizures, but is often abused in prisons and on the streets.

A new private contractor, Pittsburgh-based Wexford Health Sources, took over medical and pharmacy services for the state's 26,000 prisoners last April 1 under a $309 million, three-year contract. A message seeking comment was left for a Wexford spokeswoman.

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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com