Pearls and Pitfalls for the Business Aspects of Drug Testing

2016 was not a good year to be on the wrong side of medical necessity when it came to drug testing and ongoing prescribing of controlled medication or substance abuse treatment programs. 2017 is likely to be an expensive year for those who do not proactively take steps to understand medical...

The Business Aspects of Drug Testing

Surgeon General: Make Naloxone Widely Available

Last week, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, issued an advisory advocating for greater distribution and availability of naloxone as an element of the national response to opioid use disorder. The Surgeon General recommends that individuals at risk for opioid overdose, as well as their family...

Does the Opioid Threat Go Beyond Opioids?

In 2017, the state of Kentucky became the first to classify gabapentin as a Schedule 5 substance, following the finding that the drug was involved in up to 33% of overdose fatalities during the prior year. This means that prescriptions for gabapentin will be reported to the state’s PDMP going...

Overdose! Are Drug Users the Best First Responders?

Because they are likely to be at the scene of an overdose when it occurs, fellow drug users may be the most suitable targets for naloxone training, according to conclusions from a new study conducted at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In interviews with 450 drug users in the...

Are Better-Educated Boomers More Likely to Abuse Opioids?

A new study conducted by researchers from the University at Buffalo School of Nursing is one of the first to focus specifically on the risk factors for opioid misuse in older adults. This population is particularly sensitive to adverse effects from opioids, according to the researchers. Study author...

Can a Failed Osteoarthritis Drug Have Other Pain Management Uses?

Although human trials of a new compound developed by Eli Lily and Co. for the treatment of osteoarthritis failed to demonstrate efficacy, the drug may still have substantial utility in the pain management armamentarium. Findings from a study conducted by researchers from Indiana University suggest...

Abuse Deterrent Technologies to Minimize Opioid Abuse

Although opioids remain an important tool in aiding the management of pain in the United States, the balance between the potential benefits and harms must be considered. Some specific harms are manifested in the abuse of opioids for nonmedical purposes. The primary access to prescribable opioids for...

Addiction Help: Vaccinating Against Heroin Abuse and Overdose

In what is described as a major milestone, researchers from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) report that they have successfully formulated a new vaccine that can treat heroin addiction and prevent lethal overdose. The formulation is shelf-stable for at least 30 days and has been proven safe in...

Naloxone: Silver Bullet or Tool in the Shed?

Naloxone received FDA approval for the treatment of opioid overdose in 1971. Only recently has its use at the community level become more commonplace. Dr. Zacharoff looks at naloxone's role in improving the safety and efficacy of opioid analgesics, and in arresting the surge in unintended opioid...