Drug Abuse News and Research

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Positive results from Alkermes ALKS 5461 phase 1/2 study on MDD

Alkermes plc today announced positive topline results from a phase 1/2 study of ALKS 5461, a novel drug compound for major depressive disorder (MDD) in patients who have an inadequate response to standard therapies for clinical depression.

5 Jan 2012

FDA notes shortage of ADHD medicines

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are in such short supply that hundreds of patients complain daily to the agency that they are unable to find a pharmacy with enough pills to fill their prescriptions.

2 Jan 2012

Powerful painkiller on its way to the market: Experts worry about addiction woes

Drug makers are on their way to a pure, more powerful version of the nation’s second most-abused medicine, which has addiction experts worried that it could spur a new wave of abuse. The new pills contain the highly addictive painkiller hydrocodone, packing up to 10 times the amount of the drug as existing medications such as Vicodin.

28 Dec 2011

Viewpoints: Picking the 'right fights'; Sebelius's 'special place' in history

Republicans do need to fight for their priorities, but it helps to pick the right fights. They should return in 2012 ready to make their differences clear on taxes, health care, regulation, and how to grow an economy (12/23).

23 Dec 2011

Science journal names UNC HIV prevention study as 2011 Breakthrough of the Year

The HIV Prevention Trials Network 052 study, led by Myron S. Cohen, MD of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been named the 2011 Breakthrough of the Year by the journal Science.

23 Dec 2011

Researchers use functional MRI scans to perform brain decoding

At UCLA's Laboratory of Integrative Neuroimaging Technology, researchers use functional MRI brain scans to observe brain signal changes that take place during mental activity. They then employ computerized machine learning (ML) methods to study these patterns and identify the cognitive state - or sometimes the thought process - of human subjects. The technique is called "brain reading" or "brain decoding."

22 Dec 2011

Opinion pieces address federal funding ban on domestic, global health spending for needle-exchange programs

The FY12 Appropriations Agreement recently passed by Congress includes reinstatements of bans on the domestic and international use of federal funds for needle-exchange programs, the Haiwai'i News Daily reports.

21 Dec 2011

Over one third of youths get arrested before 23: Study

A new study published in the journal Pediatrics has shown that by age 23, up to 41 percent of American adolescents and young adults have been arrested at least once for something other than a minor traffic violation.

20 Dec 2011

Major metropolitan areas show variation in rates of drug-related ED visits

Major metropolitan areas show significant variation in the rates of emergency department (ED) visits involving illicit drugs.

16 Dec 2011

MTF survey shows large decline in teen smoking

Cigarette and alcohol use by eighth, 10th and 12th-graders are at their lowest point since the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey began polling teenagers in 1975, according to this year's survey results. However, this positive news is tempered by a slowing rate of decline in teen smoking as well as continued high rates of abuse of other tobacco products, marijuana and prescription drugs.

15 Dec 2011

Peacekeepers, relief workers do not show same mental health effects as combat veterans

Despite similar traumatic exposures, peacekeepers and relief workers don't show the same mental health effects as combat veterans, reports a study in the December Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

15 Dec 2011

Drug users with HIV infection have 74% higher risk of overdose

A study from Rhode Island Hospital is the first to systematically review and analyze the literature on the association between HIV infection and overdose risk.

13 Dec 2011

Fred Kavli Public Symposium discusses about 'The Brain on Trial'

How should insights about the brain affect the course of a criminal trial, from the arguments in a courtroom to the issuing of a sentence?

13 Dec 2011

Dramatic rise in substance abuse treatment admission rates from 1999-2009

A new report shows that while the overall rate of substance abuse treatment admissions among those aged 12 and older in the United States has remained nearly the same from 1999 to 2009, there has been a dramatic rise (430 percent) in the rate of treatment admissions for the abuse of prescription pain relievers during this period.

9 Dec 2011

Ecstasy drug associated with chronic changes in human brain

Recreational use of Ecstasy - the illegal "rave" drug that produces feelings of euphoria and emotional warmth - is associated with chronic changes in the human brain, Vanderbilt University investigators have discovered.

8 Dec 2011

Euthymics presents EB-1020 preclinical data on ADHD at ACNP annual meeting

Euthymics Bioscience, Inc. today announced that it has presented preclinical data demonstrating that EB-1020, a next-generation product candidate for adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), may be effective for treating ADHD without the burden of drug abuse liability.

8 Dec 2011

Combination of cannabinoids and opiates could help reduce chronic pain

A UCSF study suggests patients with chronic pain may experience greater relief if their doctors add cannabinoids - the main ingredient in cannabis or medical marijuana - to an opiates-only treatment. The findings, from a small-scale study, also suggest that a combined therapy could result in reduced opiate dosages.

7 Dec 2011

Cheaper test as effective as a more sophisticated test in guiding anti-retroviral drug treatment

A cheaper laboratory test that helps guide anti-retroviral drug treatment for people with HIV/AIDS may be just as effective as a more sophisticated test, a group of international researchers has found - a discovery that could be particularly important in rural Africa.

2 Dec 2011

Study finds structure-function impairments in people addicted to cocaine

The more gray matter you have in the decision-making, thought-processing part of your brain, the better your ability to evaluate rewards and consequences. That may seem like an obvious conclusion, but a new study conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory is the first to show this link between structure and function in healthy people - and the impairment of both structure and function in people addicted to cocaine.

30 Nov 2011

New report: Sharp rise in number of energy drink-related ED visits from 2005-2009

A new nationwide report indicates that from 2005 to 2009, there has been a sharp increase in the number of emergency departments visits associated with the use of non-alcohol energy drinks - from 1,128 visits in 2005 to 13,114 visits in 2009.

23 Nov 2011