Heroin News and Research

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Heroin is a very addictive chemical called diacetylmorphine. Heroin is a modified form of morphine, a highly abundant opium derived from the seedpods of the poppy plant.

FDA grants priority review for Alkermes' VIVITROL sNDA for opioid dependence

Alkermes, Inc. today announced that the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for VIVITROL® (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) for opioid dependence has been designated a priority review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

25 May 2010

Experts to discuss problem of drug production and trafficking in Afghanistan

The international forum "Drug Production in Afghanistan: A Challenge for the International Community" will be held in Moscow on June 9 and 10, 2010, at Russia's initiative.

25 May 2010

ETH Zurich researchers discover HIV transmission chains

Since the emergence of the first AIDS cases in the early 1980s, an infectious wave has spread over Switzerland. Every year, several hundred people are infected with the HI-virus which triggers the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS. Does the infection spread according to a particular pattern? Do these patterns vary among the transmission groups such as drug addicts, homosexual or heterosexual persons?

7 May 2010

New multi-faceted treatment program for young adults addicted to opioid drugs

A multi-faceted treatment program for young adults addicted to opioid drugs was unveiled today at the National Institute on Drug Abuse's Blending Conference in Albuquerque, N.M. This eighth meeting in the series brings together researchers and clinicians so their latest findings can be immediately applied to the needs of patients and their families dealing with addictive disorders.

23 Apr 2010

Medical use of marijuana on its way to reality in Washington D.C.

After debate the Washington, D.C., city council has voted unanimously for use of marijuana for medical purposes in patients with “chronic and lasting disease” like HIV, glaucoma, cancer, severe pain, multiple sclerosis etc.

22 Apr 2010

Stopping smoking may be harder than quitting heroin

An addiction is an addiction and it may be tougher to quit smoking cigarettes compared to beating a heroin addiction. An Australian study found that many long term smokers have tried to quit 7.4 times but are still unable to do so. Sydney GP Raymond Seidler actually feels that people do not realize that quitting smoking is just as bad as kicking heroin out of your life.

22 Apr 2010

Alkermes submits VIVITROL sNDA for opioid dependence

Alkermes, Inc. today announced that it has submitted a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for VIVITROL® (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval as a treatment for opioid dependence. The company requested a priority review for its sNDA and if granted by the FDA, it would mean a six month review timeline.

13 Apr 2010

Physicians warn parents on dangers of prescription drug abuse among children

With reports of increased prescription drug overdoses in emergency departments, the nation's emergency physicians are issuing a strong warning to parents about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs, which are now the second most abused drugs, after marijuana. Hospital visits caused by accidental and unintentional prescription drug overdoses went up 37 percent between 1999 and 2006, according to new data released by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

13 Apr 2010

Liver transplant loan repayment expected says WA Premier

Claire Murray, 24 died last week in a Singapore hospital following complications related to her second liver transplant. Her first tax-payer funded transplanted liver was damaged due to her relapsing into heroin addiction.

7 Apr 2010

Prescription overdoses are second leading cause of unintentional deaths in US

"Unintentional poisoning is now the second leading cause of unintentional death in the US," reports Dr. Jeffrey H. Coben of West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown. Among people 35 to 54 years old, unintentional poisoning surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of unintentional death in 2005.

6 Apr 2010

Growing problem of prescription drug abuse

Prescription painkiller abuse is a rapidly growing and widespread problem, recently coming into full view due to high profile stories and tragic celebrity deaths.

3 Apr 2010

Young mother dies of post-liver transplant complications in Singapore

Claire Murray, a 25 year old woman from Perth, suffered from a liver failure due to drug addition. She underwent a controversial second live liver transplant where a part of her aunt’s liver was given to her two weeks ago. She has reportedly succumbed to her condition and died just before 12:00pm (AWST) from complications in Singapore.

1 Apr 2010

Nation's emergency physicians warn parents about dangers of prescription drug abuse

The nation's emergency physicians are issuing a strong warning to parents about the dangers of prescription drug abuse, which are now the second most abused drugs, after marijuana. Nearly three-quarters of a million people (741,425) needed emergency care in 2006 because of prescription drug abuse.

31 Mar 2010

Titan Pharmaceuticals commences Phase 3 study of Probuphine for opioid addiction

Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the initiation of a randomized, placebo and active controlled, multi-center Phase 3 clinical study of Probuphine in the treatment of opioid addiction. This confirmatory Phase 3 study will be conducted at approximately 23 sites in the United States and randomize approximately 250 patients into three arms: Probuphine (100 patients), Suboxone® (100 patients) and placebo (50 patients).

31 Mar 2010

Unrestricted availability of food can trigger overconsumption and obesity

Some of the same brain mechanisms that fuel drug addiction in humans accompany the emergence of compulsive eating behaviors and the development of obesity in animals, according to research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health.

29 Mar 2010

Addiction to high calorie fat rich food: likened to cocaine and heroin addiction

In a new research our worst fears are confirmed – fatty, fried and fattening foods are addictive. The addiction with these delicious ‘yummies’ may be as potent as that with cocaine or heroin. The study was conducted on experimental animals, rats in this case. When fed with fatty foods in great quantities these rats showed a compulsive need to eat.

29 Mar 2010

Diagnostic test for alcohol consumption: Measuring protein changes in blood

Measuring a set of protein changes in the blood linked to alcohol use may potentially lead to a more accurate diagnostic test than those currently available, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

29 Mar 2010

Study provides new clues to obesity epidemic

In a newly published study, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have shown for the first time that the same molecular mechanisms that drive people into drug addiction are behind the compulsion to overeat, pushing people into obesity.

29 Mar 2010

U.N. official addresses increasing drug addiction in developing countries

The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Monday warned of an impending "health disaster facing developing countries if wealthy nations fail to control drugs," Agence France-Presse reports. During a speech delivered in Vienna, UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa pointed to "increasing use of heroin in East Africa, cocaine in West Africa, and synthetic drugs in the Middle East and South East Asia as warning signs" of a growing drug problem in impoverished nations (3/8).

10 Mar 2010

Beyoncé Cosmetology Center opened at Phoenix House Career Academy

Phoenix House, the nation’s leading non-profit provider of substance abuse and prevention services, today announces the opening of the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center at the Phoenix House Career Academy. A residential treatment program with a fully equipped vocational training center on site, the Career Academy, located in Brooklyn, NY, guides students as they work toward their professional and personal goals.

6 Mar 2010