Drug Abuse News and Research

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Purdue Pharma supports NASCSA with $200,000 grant for state prescription drug monitoring programs

The National Association of State Controlled Substances Authorities (NASCSA) announced receipt of a $200,000 grant from Purdue Pharma L.P. today at the organization's 27th annual conference in Charleston, South Carolina. The grant is part of Purdue Pharma's ongoing efforts to support the operation, expansion and awareness of appropriately-designed state prescription drug monitoring programs, which can be an effective tool to address prescription drug abuse and diversion.

19 Oct 2010

CVS/pharmacy agrees to pay civil penalties for excessive sales of PSE

CVS/pharmacy today announced agreements with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Attorneys' Offices for the Central District of California and the District of Nevada to settle allegations that in 2007 and 2008 certain CVS/pharmacy stores in California and Nevada engaged in unlawful sales of pseudoephedrine (PSE), an ingredient found in popular over-the-counter cold and cough medicines.

15 Oct 2010

Omeros receives additional NIDA grant for clinical studies in Addiction program

Omeros Corporation today announced that the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has provided an additional grant to fund clinical studies for the Company's Addiction program. This grant, which is for a total of approximately $3.6 million to be paid over a four-year period in equal amounts, will fund direct and indirect costs of Phase 2 clinical studies to be conducted by researchers at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

14 Oct 2010

Researchers report prevalence data on mental disorders among U.S. adolescents

Mental disorders in children are often difficult to identify due to the myriad of changes that occur during the normal course of maturation. For the first time, researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health have reported on the prevalence data on a broad range of mental disorders in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adolescents, which show that approximately one in five children in the U.S. meet the criteria for a mental disorder severe enough to disrupt their daily lives.

14 Oct 2010

The Partnership at Drugfree.org issues statement on FDA approval of VIVITROL for opioid dependence

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of Alkermes' opioid dependence medication (VIVITROL) for the prevention of relapse to opioid dependence following opioid detoxification is positive news for families of young adults and all those who are struggling to overcome opioid addiction. Addiction, a disease of the human brain, is a chronic illness while opioid dependence is frequently characterized by relapse.

13 Oct 2010

SAMHSA awards State Incentive Grants for substance abuse prevention

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced it is awarding up to $53.4 million in new State Incentive Grants for up to five years. These grants are used by states or tribes to implement a strategic approach in communities across the state for substance abuse prevention.

13 Oct 2010

Alkermes' VIVITROL medication for treatment of opioid dependence

Alkermes, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved VIVITROL(naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) for the prevention of relapse to opioid dependence, following opioid detoxification.

13 Oct 2010

Semi-synthetic opioid may improve withdrawal symptoms in infants

Thousands of infants each year have exposure to opioids before they are born. Over half of these infants are born with withdrawal symptoms severe enough to require opioid replacement treatment in the nursery. Such treatment is associated with long hospital stays which interferes with maternal/infant bonding. Now, a team of researchers at Thomas Jefferson University has tested a semi-synthetic opioid they say has the potential to improve the treatment of these newborns, which could save hundreds of millions in healthcare costs annually if future tests continue to show benefit.

7 Oct 2010

Study may lend insight about hallucination mechanism in schizophrenia

Scripps Research Institute scientists have shown for the first time that the neurotransmitter serotonin uses a specialized signaling pathway to mediate biological functions that are distinct from the signaling pathways used by hallucinogenic substances. The new findings could have a profound effect on the development of new therapies for a number of disorders, including schizophrenia and depression.

6 Oct 2010

Researchers to conduct trial to improve drug abstinence, relapse rates

A $15.7 million award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is allowing researchers to see whether consistent exercise will help people abstain from stimulant abuse.

6 Oct 2010

Nicotine reduction strategy should be an urgent research priority

After a major review of scientific information, six leading tobacco research and policy experts have concluded that a nicotine reduction strategy should be an urgent research priority because of its potential to profoundly reduce the death and disease from tobacco use. Their findings were published today in the journal Tobacco Control.

4 Oct 2010

Merck's boceprevir Phase III studies for HCV to be presented at 61st AASLD

Merck today announced that final results from two pivotal Phase III studies of boceprevir, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, will be presented in oral plenary sessions at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), which is taking place from Oct. 29 through Nov. 2 in Boston. Results for boceprevir in response-guided therapy strategies, which evaluated treatment durations shorter than current standard therapy, will be presented during the meeting.

4 Oct 2010

LSUHSC-S receives $3.9M NIDA grant to develop EMB-001 drug for cocaine dependence

Embera NeuroTherapeutics, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing novel treatments for addiction and obesity, announced today that the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC-S) has received a $3.9 million dollar grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The grant will support the next stages of development for Embera's drug candidate EMB-001 to treat cocaine dependence, as well as advance EMB-001 into clinical testing.

1 Oct 2010

First nationwide Safe Medication Disposal Program launched

Walgreens has launched the first ongoing, nationwide Safe Medication Disposal Program, a safe and environmentally responsible way to dispose of unused or expired medications.

1 Oct 2010

NIH grants for UNC investigators to study HIV/AIDS prevention methods

Investigators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill comprise one of 12 scientific teams in more than a dozen states that will receive National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to study effective ways to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS among people in the criminal justice system.

30 Sep 2010

NABP seeks to educate public about rogue Internet drug outlets, counterfeit medications

Earlier this year, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) was introduced to the AWARxE campaign, which was created and implemented by the Minnesota Pharmacists Foundation in 2007. Moved by the power of the campaign, NABP obtained the AWARxE program so that its message could be shared on a national level.

30 Sep 2010

MediciNova receives FDA approval to proceed with initial trial of ibudilast

MediciNova Inc, a biopharmaceutical company publicly traded on the NASDAQ Global Market and the Hercules Market of the Osaka Securities Exchange (Code Number:4875), today reported FDA's approval to proceed with an initial trial of the company's neurological drug candidate, ibudilast (MN-166/AV411), as a potential new pharmacotherapy for methamphetamine addiction.

27 Sep 2010