If you’ve had any doubt that America is in the throes of an opioid epidemic, perhaps a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will hit the point home. [More]
opioids
Most Walgreens Pharmacies Now Offering Overdose Antidote Narcan Over-The-Counter
By 10.26.17
Opioid overdoses can, and do, happen just about anywhere, from schools to public parks, from homes to workplaces, restaurants, and night clubs. Narcan (naloxone) is a drug that can be used to halt an overdose, and it’s increasingly being used to save lives by people other than police, first responders, or emergency room staff. In fact, the demand for Narcan is such that Walgreens will now be stocking the treatment and selling it over-the-counter at its pharmacies. [More]
States Urge Congress To Make Treatment For Drug Addiction More Affordable
By 10.2.17
Amid a nationwide opioid epidemic, a group of attorneys general is urging Congress to pass a bill that would give more Americans access to affordable drug addiction treatment. [More]
State Says OxyContin Maker “Conducted Uncontrolled Experiment On American Public”
By 9.28.17
The state of Washington and the City of Seattle filed separate lawsuits today against Purdue Pharma, maker of controversial opioid pain medication OxyContin, alleging that the drug company lied to doctors, regulators, and the public about the efficacy and safety of a drug that many place at the center of the ongoing opioid epidemic. [More]
Many Insurance Plans Cover Opioid Painkillers But Restrict Access To Less-Addictive Drugs
By 9.18.17
With an opioid addiction epidemic ravaging the nation, physicians are being asked to consider non-opioid treatments or opioids that are less addictive than the widely abused drugs on the market. But there’s a big problem with that suggestion: Many insurance companies won’t cover, or heavily restrict access to, a number of less-addictive painkillers. [More]
New Hampshire Accuses OxyContin Maker Of Stoking Opioid Epidemic Through Deceptive Marketing
By 8.9.17
As much of the nation deals with the effects of opioid addiction and overuse, some states are attempting to hold the makers of these drugs accountable. Once again, Purdue Pharma, the company behind OxyContin and other opioid painkillers, finds itself in the crosshairs of allegations that it has continued to contribute to this epidemic by deceiving patients and physicians about the safety and efficacy of these drugs. [More]
DOJ Shuts Down Online ‘Dark Market’ Peddling Opioids, Guns, & Hacking Tools
By 7.20.17
The world of criminal marketplaces selling deadly drugs, counterfeit products, malware, and weapons just got a bit smaller: The Department of Justice says it’s shut down AlphaBay, what it calls the largest online “dark market.”
[More]
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]
Pharma Frantically Searching Humanity’s Medicine Cabinet For Non-Opioid Pain Medicines
By 6.28.17
As opioid addiction continues to ravage large swaths of the country, doctors are being urged to prescribe fewer narcotic painkillers, putting pressure on drug companies to come up with new ways to treat pain patients. [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]
These 101 Words May Have Pushed Opioids Into Dangerous Popularity
By 6.2.17
As Americans around the country battle opioid addiction, and health officials and lawmakers try to find a way to stem the rising tide of painkiller overdose deaths, everyone is looking for answers as to how we got here. Now, a new report says five simple sentences made up of just 101 words on addiction to narcotic painkillers in a 1980 medical journal may have a lot to do with it. [More]
Ohio: Makers Of OxyContin, Percocet & Other Opioids Helped Fuel Drug Epidemic By Misleading Doctors, Patients
By 5.31.17
As Americans nationwide deal with the ongoing opioid epidemic, which has also resulted in the resurrection of heroin in many parts of the country, the Ohio Attorney General is accusing five major pharmaceutical companies of misleading the public about the safety and benefits of opioid painkillers. [More]
Did Big Pharma Hire Dozens Of DEA Officials To Reduce Scrutiny Of Opioid Painkillers?
By 12.22.16
It’s not uncommon for folks at federal agencies to cash in on their public sector connections by taking a high-paying job with a company they used to regulate. But when it comes to the pharmaceuticals industry’s hiring of dozens of Drug Enforcement Administration officials, the question is whether these former DEA staffers were being hired because of what they could contribute, or because it was better for the industry to get them out of law enforcement. [More]
Former Pharma Execs Accused Of Boosting Fentanyl Sales By Bribing Doctors With Sham Speaking Engagements
By 12.9.16
Fentanyl is an incredibly potent opioid painkiller; it acts quickly and powerfully, but doesn’t last as long as others, meaning its medical application is limited. So if you’re a drug company trying to boost sales of your new fentanyl spray, how do you sell more of a product that very few people have a real need for? You could bribe doctors with paid “speaking engagements,” take them out and show them the “best nights of their life,” all so they write prescriptions for patients who probably shouldn’t be getting your drug. [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]
Report: OxyContin Makers Ignored Internal Warnings Of “Organized Drug Ring” & Pill Mills
By 7.18.16
As the current opioid addiction/overdose epidemic spread out across America over the last 20 years, it wasn’t just greedy drugstore chains that turned a blind eye to fake and questionable prescriptions. A new report highlights how the company behind one of the epidemic’s signature drugs ignored warning signs of obvious illegal activity. [More]
FDA Issues Warning That Misuse, Abuse Of Imodium Can Cause Heart Issues
By 6.8.16
Following reports that some opioid addicts are taking potentially lethal doses of over-the-counter anti-diarrhea medication, the Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about the dangers of abuse and misuse of these seemingly innocuous products. [More]
In Denial About America’s Opioid Painkiller Problem? This Map Might Change Your Mind
By 5.26.16
If you think the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is being alarmist by urging primary care physicians to stop prescribing so many opioid painkillers, or that the fact that 10% of doctors are writing more than 50% of the prescriptions for opioids is not a concrete indicator of a problem, then perhaps this map of overdose deaths in the U.S. will help to drive the point home. [More]
