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Lightlake announces final data from naloxone nasal spray Phase II study on Binge Eating Disorder

Lightlake Therapeutics Inc., an early stage biopharmaceutical company developing modern addiction treatments based on its expertise using opioid antagonists, announced today compelling final data from a Phase II study of the Company's proprietary opioid antagonist naloxone nasal spray treatment for patients with Binge Eating Disorder (BED).

9 Aug 2012

Plain packaging of cigarettes may help draw attention of adolescent smokers to health warnings

New research published online in the scientific journal Addiction shows that plain packaging (requiring cigarettes to be packaged in standard packages without attractive designs and imagery) may help to draw the attention of some adolescent smokers to the health warnings on the package. If so, this may in turn deter young smokers from continuing to smoke.

8 Aug 2012

Foods high in sugar and fat could have addictive properties

Overweight and obese individuals can achieve a decade's worth of important health benefits by losing just 20 pounds, even if they regain the weight later that decade, according to research presented at the American Psychological Association's 120th Annual Convention. With a focus on psychology's role in overcoming the national obesity epidemic, the session also examined research that indicates foods high in sugar and fat could have addictive properties.

3 Aug 2012

BMC to implement and evaluate opioid risk reduction model in primary care settings

Researchers at Boston Medical Center (BMC) have received a $2.67 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to implement and evaluate a new model of care in primary care settings aimed at decreasing the misuse of and addiction to opioids among patients with chronic pain.

2 Aug 2012

Strong oppositional behaviors associated with drug abuse among children

Children who exhibit oppositional behavior run the risk of becoming addicted to nicotine, cannabis and cocaine whilst Inattention symptoms represent a specific additional risk of nicotine addiction. Nevertheless, hyperactivity in itself does not seem to be associated with any specific risk of substance abuse or dependence.

2 Aug 2012

Report provides two distinct views of behavioral healthcare delivery

Behavioral healthcare systems are playing a major role in responding to the needs of the millions of Americans of all ages who experience psychiatric and substance use conditions each year, according to the latest annual survey from the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) released today.

2 Aug 2012

New FDA risk management plan aims to reduce opioid abuse in the U.S.

A new risk management plan from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help clinicians properly prescribe drugs with addiction potential aims to help reduce the growing epidemic of opioid abuse in the United States.

2 Aug 2012

Roundup: Mass. lawmakers struggle to reach agreement on cost controls; $100M grant for Calif. stem cell research; N.C. to move mentally ill from elderly homes

The House and Senate are under the gun to reach an agreement on how to lower health care costs while improving care. A conference committee aims to have a bill out on Sunday. Their deadline is Monday evening. In the meantime, several major issues are still unresolved, including what to do about hospitals that use their market clout to demand high prices that are not based on higher quality. Attorney General Martha Coakley, the state's top insurers and several consumer groups argue that price is a critical issue.

28 Jul 2012

Raising dopamine levels in frontal cortex reduces impulsivity in healthy adults

Raising levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the frontal cortex of the brain significantly decreased impulsivity in healthy adults, in a study conducted by researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco.

26 Jul 2012

NIDA announces 2012 recipient of Avant-Garde Award for Medications Development

Dr. Gary R. Matyas has been selected the 2012 recipient of the NIDA Avant-Garde Award for Medications Development. Matyas proposes to develop an effective, safe and easily manufactured combination anti-heroin/HIV vaccine that could treat heroin addiction while at the same time prevent HIV infection in those receiving the vaccine.

26 Jul 2012

Mephedrone does have potential for abuse and addiction

The use of the synthetic stimulants collectively known as "bath salts" have gained popularity among recreational drug users over the last five years, largely because they were readily available and unrestricted via the Internet and at convenience stores, and were virtually unregulated.

24 Jul 2012

NIDA announces recipients of 2012 Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS Research

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced the recipients of the 2012 Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS Research. The three scientists, Drs. David Smith, Samuel Friedman and Jeremy Luban, will each receive $500,000 per year for five years to support their research.

24 Jul 2012

Overeating and increased weight linked to brain region associated with motivation and reward

Snack consumption and BMI are linked to both brain activity and self-control, new research has found.

23 Jul 2012

Study on relationship between pain and higher brain functions

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston professor Volker Neugebauer has been awarded a four-year, $1.36 million grant by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to conduct an innovative study of the relationship between pain and parts of the brain associated with cognitive thought and emotional response.

20 Jul 2012

Longer looks: Physicians and assisted suicide; Avoid getting sick in July

Peggy Sutherland was ready to die. The morphine oozing from a pump in her spine was no match for the pain of lung cancer, which had evaded treatment and invaded her ribs. … Sutherland, 68, decided to use Oregon's "Death With Dignity Act," which allows terminally-ill residents to end their lives after a 15-day requisite waiting period by self-administering a lethal prescription drug. ... But not all doctors are on board with the law.

20 Jul 2012

IntNSA, Wolters Kluwer partner to publish Journal of Addictions Nursing

Wolters Kluwer Health and International Nurses Society on Addictions (IntNSA) are pleased to announce a partnership agreement to publish Journal of Addictions Nursing (JAN), the official journal of IntNSA. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW), part of Wolters Kluwer Health, will be the publisher of record for Journal of Addictions Nursing (JAN), beginning with the October 2012 issue.

12 Jul 2012

FDA approves risk evaluation and mitigation strategy for ER and LA opioids

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) for extended-release (ER) and long-acting (LA) opioids, highly potent drugs approved for moderate to severe, persistent pain that requires treatment for an extended period.

10 Jul 2012

Comparative study on meditation

New to meditation and already thinking about quitting? You may have simply chosen the wrong method. A new study published online July 7 in EXPLORE: The Journal of Science and Healing highlights the importance of ensuring that new meditators select methods with which they are most comfortable, rather than those that are most popular.

8 Jul 2012

FDA action affects companies that manufacture and distribute unapproved oxycodone drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a Federal Register notice instructing companies to stop manufacturing and distributing certain unapproved drugs that contain oxycodone. The notice is part of the FDA's Unapproved Drugs Initiative to remove unapproved new drugs from the market.

6 Jul 2012

Nicotine addiction: An interview with Dr. Crystal

Cigarette smoking and nicotine addiction are widespread problems throughout the world. Many people continue to smoke despite high taxes and the available public information on the dangers of smoking.

3 Jul 2012