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Hit hard by opioid crisis, Black patients further hurt by barriers to care

Purple flags, representing the nearly 300 Mecklenburg County residents who died of opioid overdose in 2023, fluttered in the humid breeze last August in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day on the city’s predominantly Black west side.

2 Apr 2025

Study reveals significant racial and sex disparities in drug overdose mortality rates

A recent study from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health reveals significant racial and sex disparities in drug overdose mortality rates.

1 Apr 2025

Trump says he’ll stop health care fraudsters. Last time, he let them walk.

Five years ago, the CEO of one of the largest pain clinic companies in the Southeast was sentenced to more than three years in prison after being convicted in a $4 million illegal kickback scheme.

1 Apr 2025

Restricting telehealth prescriptions for opioid use disorder could undermine recovery

Weill Cornell Medicine researchers found that restricting telehealth prescriptions for opioid use disorder could keep thousands from accessing buprenorphine, a medication that helps people recover from addiction.

20 Mar 2025

Study finds no link between Medicaid expansion and opioid misuse

A new study has found that extending state Medicaid coverage did not increase the likelihood of prescription opioid or benzodiazepine misuse among people who use drugs.

11 Mar 2025

Hormones may drive the differences in opioid misuse between men and women

The opioid epidemic has claimed more than half a million lives in the U.S. since 1999, about three-quarters of them men, according to the National Institutes of Health.

10 Mar 2025

Fentanyl poisonings among children in the U.S. increase sharply over eight years

Incidents of children in the U.S. being poisoned by the synthetic opioid fentanyl "increased and became more severe", a new study reveals.

8 Mar 2025

New drug VIP36 shows promise in treating pain without harmful side effects

A research team funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has developed a medication that shows promise in treating acute and chronic pain.

5 Mar 2025

Nearly 17 million children affected by parental substance use disorders in the U.S

Nearly 17 million children and adolescents in the United States are estimated to live with a parent who has a substance use disorder, according to a study led by Texas State University, University of Michigan and Wayne State University.

4 Mar 2025

USC study sheds light on nationwide naloxone awareness and use

A new USC-led study provides the first nationwide picture of who knows about, carries, and uses naloxone to reverse deadly opioid overdoses.

3 Mar 2025

Opioid cash grab: As federal funding dries up, states turn to settlement money

At a recent Nevada legislative committee hearing, lawmakers faced off with members of the governor's administration over how to fill gaping holes in the state's upcoming budget.

25 Feb 2025

Social media and peer pressure fueling dangerous drug misuse

Social media trends and peer pressure can be a dangerous combination to your children and their friends, especially when involving misusing medicines.

22 Feb 2025

Co-prescribing stimulants and opioids may fuel the twin epidemic of overdose

The combination of prescribed central nervous system stimulants, such as drugs that relieve ADHD symptoms, with prescribed opioid medications is associated with a pattern of escalating opioid intake, a new study has found.

22 Feb 2025

Study finds lack of consensus on how to treat chronic non-cancer pain

Chronic pain is complex and difficult to treat. Prescribing opioid pain medications has become controversial but may help some patients.

22 Feb 2025

An ice rink to fight opioid crisis: Drug-free fun vs. misuse of settlement cash

A Kentucky county nestled in the heart of Appalachia, where the opioid crisis has wreaked devastation for decades, spent $15,000 of its opioid settlement money on an ice rink.

20 Feb 2025

Researchers uncover the brain mechanism behind ketamine's action

Ketamine has received a Hollywood makeover. It used to be known as a rave drug (street name special K) and cat anesthetic.

14 Feb 2025

Insilico Medicine announces preclinical drug discovery benchmarks from 2021 to 2024

Insilico Medicine ( "Insilico") , a clinical stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven biotechnology company today announced a set of preclinical drug discovery benchmarks from the 22 developmental candidate nominations achieved by its platform from 2021 to 2024.

11 Feb 2025

Opioid prescriptions in emergency rooms linked to later health risks

Opioid prescriptions in the emergency department (ED) were associated with small increases in later opioid prescriptions and hospital admissions, found new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.241542.

10 Feb 2025

Medicare opioid safety policy shows initial success but effectiveness diminishes over time

A new study led by researchers at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute found that a 2019 Medicare opioid safety policy showed initial reductions in opioid prescribing to high-risk populations.

10 Feb 2025

Chiropractic spinal manipulation reduces opioid risks for sciatica patients

A new study led by researchers at University Hospitals Connor Whole Health found that adults with newly diagnosed sciatica who initially received chiropractic spinal manipulation (CSM) were significantly less likely to experience opioid-related adverse drug events (ORADEs) such as overdose and poisoning over a one-year follow-up compared to those receiving usual medical care.

29 Jan 2025