Fentanyl News and Research

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Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opiate analgesic similar to but more potent than morphine. It is typically used to treat patients with severe pain, or to manage pain after surgery. It is also sometimes used to treat people with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to opiates. It is a schedule II prescription drug.

Study finds increased opioid consumption two years after intensive care

Nearly 11 percent of people admitted to an intensive care unit in Sweden between 2010 and 2018 received opioid prescriptions on a regular basis for at least six months and up to two years after discharge.

2 Feb 2021

Active cannabis dispensaries linked to reduced opioid-related mortality rates

Counties with a greater number of cannabis dispensary storefronts experience reduced numbers of opioid-related deaths relative to other locales, a recent University of California, Davis, study has found.

29 Jan 2021

Are public health ads worth the price? Not if they’re all about fear

The public service announcement showed a mother finding her teenage son lifeless, juxtaposed with the sound of a ukulele and a woman singing, "That's how, how you OD'd on heroin."

19 Jan 2021

San Francisco wrestles with drug approach as death and chaos engulf Tenderloin

In early 2019, Tom Wolf posted a thank-you on Twitter to the cop who had arrested him the previous spring, when he was homeless and strung out in a doorway with 103 tiny bindles of heroin and cocaine in a plastic baggie at his feet.

7 Jan 2021

FDA takes further steps to strengthen REMS program to confront opioid crisis

While our efforts to combat COVID-19 remain at the forefront of our day-to-day activities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also continues its work on a number of important public health issues and, in particular, the opioid crisis.

23 Dec 2020

Cannabis use during opioid addiction treatment may reduce fentanyl exposure

New research suggests that cannabis use by people in care for opioid addiction might improve their treatment outcomes and reduce their risk of being exposed to fentanyl in the contaminated unregulated drug supply.

21 Dec 2020

Study shows high prevalence of back pain in patients undergoing neuroendovascular procedures

Multiple studies have evaluated the incidence of back pain among patients who undergo catheter-based heart procedures while conscious.

17 Dec 2020

Scientists develop new vaccine to counter the effects of synthetic cannabinoids

Made in clandestine laboratories and sold widely across the United States, the diverse class of drugs known as synthetic cannabinoids presents a growing public health threat.

17 Dec 2020

PrEP prescription can make a positive difference in women who inject drugs

When taken daily, pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a highly effective way to prevent HIV transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

16 Dec 2020

Polysubstance-involved opioid overdose deaths are more common among youth, study shows

Results of a new study show that opioid overdose deaths involving more than one substance (polysubstances) are more common than opioid-only overdose deaths among youth.

23 Nov 2020

Collaborative effort will enable efficient oversight to prevent illegal, harmful products from entering the U.S.

Recently, leadership from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations signed a Memorandum of Understanding to stop harmful products that pose a threat to public health and attempt to enter the U.S. through International Mail Facilities.

30 Oct 2020

Low‐dose ketamine does not alter a healthy human's tolerance to blood loss

A low dose of ketamine, administered intravenously, does not alter a healthy human's tolerance to blood loss. In other words, if someone was given ketamine to kill pain associated with a battlefield injury, they would be able to tolerate blood loss just as well as someone who did not received this pain killer.

21 Oct 2020

Study provides the most detailed picture on stimulant use by LGB individuals

Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals report higher rates of medical, non-medical, and illegal stimulant use compared to heterosexuals, mirroring patterns seen in other substance use.

24 Sep 2020

Artificial intelligence method can rapidly and remotely detect fentanyl and derivatives

To help keep first responders safe, University of Central Florida researchers have developed an artificial intelligence method that not only rapidly and remotely detects the powerful drug fentanyl, but also teaches itself to detect any previously unknown derivatives made in clandestine batches.

25 Aug 2020

Research shows nonprescribed fentanyl and stimulants were the major cause for overdose mortality

Nonprescribed fentanyl and stimulants were the primary contributors to overdose mortality, while few people had prescribed opioids in their systems, according to new toxicology research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

24 Aug 2020

Study: UnityPhilly app can help fight America's opioid crisis

Equipped with naloxone and a smartphone app, community members can save lives in the fight against America's opioid crisis, according to a paper from researchers at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health and colleagues published this week in The Lancet journal EClinicalMedicine.

6 Aug 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Trump twists on virus response

President Donald Trump — who has spent the past six months trying to play down the coronavirus pandemic — seems to have pivoted. In back-to-back briefings on July 21 and 22, Trump cautioned that the U.S. is in a dangerous place vis-a-vis the pandemic.

23 Jul 2020

Pain relief drugs offer more choices for women during childbirth

Choice and control are important factors for ensuring a positive childbirth experience, yet until recently, little was known about the impact of alternative administrations of fentanyl – one of the pain relief drugs used during labour– on both mother and baby.

1 Jul 2020

The hidden deaths of the COVID pandemic

Sara Wittner had seemingly gotten her life back under control. After a December relapse in her battle with drug addiction, the 32-year-old completed a 30-day detox program and started taking a monthly injection to block her cravings for opioids.

23 Jun 2020

NIST updates its database of chemical fingerprints

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has updated its database of chemical fingerprints, called mass spectra, that are used to identify unknown chemical compounds.

17 Jun 2020