By Lev Facher | Aug. 9, 2023 A nonprofit naloxone manufacturer is celebrating its recent market approval by giving away 200,000 doses of its over-the-counter nasal spray. Harm Reduction Therapeutics said in a statement that it will donate nearly a quarter-million doses of its new product to the Remedy Alliance, an organization[Read More…]
Legislation & Public Policy
Only 1 in 5 people with opioid use disorder received medication in 2021
BY JOSEPH CHOI | 08/07/23 | 2:39 PM ET A study published Monday found that only about 1 out of 5 U.S. adults dealing with opioid use disorder in 2021 received medications to treat their condition, despite newer guidance recommending the use of such treatments. The research from the Centers for Disease[Read More…]
State And Territory Approaches To Improving Care For Individuals Affected By Stimulant And Polysubstance Use
Stimulant And Polysubstance Use Policy Academy Final Report Introduction The drug overdose epidemic continues to worsen and has evolved over time. Many states are experiencing a resurgence in use and harms related to stimulants—particularly illicit stimulants—such as cocaine and methamphetamine. Although opioids—mainly synthetic opioids such as illicitly manufactured fentanyls—are currently[Read More…]
VOCAL-KY urges Louisville Metro government to act on their plan to reduce drug overdoses
Louisville Public Media By Morgan Watkins Published August 1, 2023 | 3:15 PM EDT A year after VOCAL-KY unveiled its roadmap for Louisville Metro Government to end drug overdoses, the grassroots group called on local officials to take more action. State data show over 500 people in Jefferson County died annually from a drug overdose[Read More…]
FDA approves first opioid reversal drug from a nonprofit company
BY NATHANIEL WEIXEL | 07/28/23 1:01 PM ET The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first version of over-the-counter (OTC) naloxone from a nonprofit company, a move that could bring cheap and even free doses of the opioid overdose drug to Americans who need it most. RiVive, made by Harm[Read More…]
Mental illness, drug addiction go hand in glove, Biden’s drug czar tells lawmakers
By Simar Bajaj | July 27, 2023 WASHINGTON — At a House oversight hearing Thursday, the Biden administration’s top drug policy official emphasized the need to address both mental illness and drug addiction simultaneously to reduce fentanyl deaths. According to a 2021 survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, over nine[Read More…]
KY commission hears from experts on promise of psychedelic to treat opioid addiction
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Karen Butcher, whose son died in 2020 of an opioid overdose, asked a panel of experts on Monday in Frankfort: If cost wasn’t a factor, why shouldn’t Kentucky explore the use of an illicit psychedelic drug as a treatment for opioid addiction?
Health Subcommittee Chair Guthrie Opening Statement at Subcommittee Markup of 17 Bills
Washington, D.C. — Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s Health Subcommittee markup of 17 bills.
White House launches national response plan for combatting ‘tranq’ drug deaths
By NATHANIEL WEIXEL | 07/11/23 | 5:00 AM ET The Biden administration is rolling out a national response plan to deal with the threat of fentanyl combined with xylazine. Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” is an easily accessible veterinary drug approved for use in animals as a sedative and pain reliever. But it is[Read More…]
DEA administrator says Congress needs to pass laws to keep social media from serving as platforms to promote, sell fentanyl
KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Monday, July 3, 2023 Events, trends, issues, ideas and independent journalism about health care and health in Kentucky, from the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky. The U.S. needs laws to force social-media companies to keep their platforms from being used[Read More…]