We hear a lot about the “opioid crisis” or “opioid epidemic,” to the point that people may be tuning out those words and ignoring the seriousness of the situation. That’s why the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis has an urgent recommendation. It wants the President to declare a national emergency. [More]
opioid abuse
President’s Commission On Opioid Crisis Says Death Toll Is Like 9/11 Happening Every Three Weeks
By 8.1.17
Endo Pharmaceuticals Agrees To Remove Opioid Painkiller Linked To HIV Outbreak From The Market
By 7.7.17
Weeks after the Food and Drug Administration said opioid painkiller Opana ER should be removed from the market amid concerns about the potential for abuse, Endo Pharmaceuticals has agreed to pull the drug, which has been linked to serious outbreaks of HIV and hepatitis C. [More]
As Opioid Hospitalizations Soar, Report Claims Imprisoning Drug Offenders Doesn’t Affect Overdoses Or Use
By 6.20.17
Since 2005, the rate of opioid-related emergency room visits has doubled and hospitalizations are up 64%. At the same time, many states are sending more people to prison for drug-related offenses. However, a new analysis contends that there is no apparent link between drug imprisonments and reining in the problems associated with the ongoing epidemic. [More]
FDA Requests Opioid Painkiller Be Removed From The Market, Citing Abuse Risks, HIV Outbreak
By 6.8.17
The Food and Drug Administration has asked Endo Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Opana ER, an extended-release semi-synthetic opioid painkiller, to remove the drug from the market, after the agency concluded that the drug’s potential for abuse outweighed its therapeutic value. [More]
Costco Settles Federal Charges That It Turned Blind Eye To Bad Prescriptions
By 1.20.17
Costco has reached a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice to pay $11.75 million to resolve federal allegations that the warehouse club’s pharmacies violated the Controlled Substances Act by filling prescriptions they probably shouldn’t have. [More]
Opioid Poisonings In Toddlers & Teens Tripled Over 15-Year Period
By 10.31.16
We’ve already seen how the opioid epidemic has spread like wildfire in the U.S. since the late ’90s, but a new study shows how children of every age group are increasingly being exposed (and exposing themselves) to dangerous levels of these painkillers. [More]
