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…]
National News
The advantage of virtual opioid treatment
Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios Just 1 in 5 adults who had opioid use disorder in 2021 received medication to treat it, new federal data show. Why it matters: The finding speaks to the role that expanded telehealth access played in connecting people to drug treatment during the pandemic. What they’re saying: “More than 80,000[Read More…]
Some Health Workers See Double the Risk for Fatal Drug Overdoses
— Pre-pandemic study finds that RNs and others faced elevated risks. by Shannon Firth, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today | August 7, 2023 Certain healthcare workers including registered nurses (RNs) were at increased risk for fatal drug overdoses, a longitudinal study from 2008 to 2019 found. After adjustment for various factors, the risk[Read More…]
Buprenorphine Cost a Potential Barrier for Opioid-Addicted Youth, Adults
— Opioid use disorder medication remains underused, and cost appears to contribute, studies show. by Jennifer Henderson | Enterprise & Investigative Writer, MedPage Today | August 7, 2023 For young people with opioid use disorder (OUD), buprenorphine costs have declined overall but with drastic variation by payer type, researchers found. Examining buprenorphine[Read More…]
Just 22% of US Adults With OUD Receive Medication-Assisted Treatment
By Tom Valentino, Digital Managing Editor About 2.5 million US adults at least 18 years of age had an opioid use disorder (OUD) in 2021, but just 22% received medication-assisted treatment (MAT), according to a study released Monday by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health[Read More…]
Study: Half of all people likely get mental illness in their lifetime
By Sri Ravipati A man sits huddled on a chair with his hands in front of his face. Photo: Jonas Walzberg About half of the world’s population “can expect to develop” at least one type of mental disorder by the time they are 75 years old, according to a new study published in the[Read More…]
DEA ‘Open To Considering’ Special Registration Process for Telehealth Controlled Substance Prescribing
By Chris Larson | August 4, 2023 The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has openly signaled a reversal in its stance towards a long-mandated special registration process that would allow telehealth prescribing of certain controlled substances. In a newly published meeting notice, the DEA says the voluminous and negative feedback on its proposed rule[Read More…]
Addiction Treatment Should Embrace A Public Health Mission
As addiction professionals created the modern treatment sector, harm reduction strategies were viewed with skepticism. The opioid epidemic has forced a re-evaluation of harm reduction’s place in the treatment toolbox. This article takes a further step by suggesting that treatment professionals should view themselves part of the public health world.[Read More…]
Opioid addiction starts at the ER, according to studies.
by Bocconi University Legitimate prescriptions of opioids as painkillers are a contributing factor in long-term addiction to these substances. This is what Sarah Eichmeyer of Bocconi’s Department of Economics and Jonathan Zhang of McMaster University in Canada found and described in two recent papers, “Pathways into Opioid Dependence: Evidence from[Read More…]
A wasted chance to fight addiction? Opioid settlement cash fills a local budget gap.
Over the past two years, as state attorneys general agreed to more than $50 billion in legal settlements with companies that made or sold opioids, they vowed the money would be spent on addiction treatment and prevention. They were determined to avoid the misdirection of the tobacco settlement of the[Read More…]