Narcotics News and Research

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Just a few drugs responsible for majority of emergency hospitalizations

Latest research shows that just a few drugs are responsible for a majority of the emergency hospitalizations for bad events related to medication use in older U.S. adults.

24 Nov 2011

Greening of vacant urban land may affect health and safety of nearby residents

Greening of vacant urban land may affect the health and safety of nearby residents, according to a study published online in the American Journal of Epidemiology this week.

18 Nov 2011

Austerity measures in Europe may cause rise in drug-related HIV infections, report says

"Austerity measures brought in to tackle Europe's economic crisis may cause a rise in drug-related HIV infections as stretched health services struggle to cope, the E.U.'s narcotics agency said on Tuesday," Reuters reports.

17 Nov 2011

Exelixis reports cabozantinib phase 2 trial data on bone metastases

Exelixis, Inc. today reported interim data on pain relief and related reduction in narcotic analgesic use with cabozantinib in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients with bone metastases.

14 Nov 2011

Opioid-dependent patients have worse outcomes before knee replacement surgery

Patients who are dependent on opioids (narcotic pain relievers) for pain management before knee replacement surgery have much more difficulty recovering, a study recently published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) has found.

13 Nov 2011

Helping others helps adolescent helpers reduce cravings for alcohol and drugs

A new study of teens undergoing substance abuse treatment finds helping others helps the adolescent helper by reducing cravings for alcohol and drugs, a major precipitator of relapse.

9 Nov 2011

Americans overdosing on prescription pain killers

According to figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 40 Americans die from prescription painkiller abuse each day. Overdoses of opioid prescription drugs now kill more people in the U.S. than do overdoses from heroin and cocaine combined the report says. Twelve million Americans say they abused prescription drugs in the last year.

2 Nov 2011

First Edition: October 4, 2011

Today's news highlights include reports that the Supreme Court kicked off its new term by hearing a key Medicaid case that tests whether providers and patients can go to court to challenge decisions by cash-strapped states to reduce Medicaid payments.

4 Oct 2011

Residential treatment may motivate young adults with addiction for recovery

Young adults undergoing addiction treatment arrive ready and willing to make the personal changes that bring about recovery, but it's the help and guidance received during treatment that build and sustain those changes, according to a longitudinal study published electronically and in press within the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

1 Oct 2011

State highlights: Many states moving workers' children to CHIP plans

After a nine-year court battle, a landmark class-action settlement was preliminarily approved this week that would require the state to provide more effective mental health services for the children in or about to enter foster care. Its reach is expected to be significant. California has 61,000 children in the foster care system, and it runs the nation's largest child welfare system at a cost of about $4.7 billion per year.

1 Oct 2011

Researchers use patient's own stem cells to correct genetic alteration that causes SCD

Using a patient's own stem cells, researchers at Johns Hopkins have corrected the genetic alteration that causes sickle cell disease (SCD), a painful, disabling inherited blood disorder that affects mostly African-Americans. The corrected stem cells were coaxed into immature red blood cells in a test tube that then turned on a normal version of the gene.

29 Sep 2011

UBC Graduate School of Journalism launches 'The Pain Project' site

In advance of a United Nations conference today on the global challenges of treating cancer and other diseases, the UBC Graduate School of Journalism has launched an ambitious multimedia site, The Pain Project, which documents one of the greatest challenges to treating chronic illnesses: severely constrained access to morphine.

20 Sep 2011

Drug overdose deaths surpass road traffic accident deaths in U.S.

According to newly released figures, drug-related deaths now outnumber traffic fatalities in the U.S., with the rise driven by an increase in prescription narcotic overdoses.

19 Sep 2011

Drug use among young adults on the rise in U.S.

Nearly one in 10 Americans report regularly using illegal drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants or prescription drugs used recreationally, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health made public today. The survey, sponsored by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), collects the data from interviews with 67,500 randomly selected people 12 years or older.

12 Sep 2011

Enrollment complete in DURECT's POSIDUR Phase III study for post-surgical pain

DURECT Corporation announced today the dosing of the last patient in the U.S. pivotal Phase III clinical study for POSIDUR known as BESST.

6 Sep 2011

Webinar on Prescription Drug Abuse in Workers' Comp

Joseph Paduda, principal of Health Strategy Associates, will present "Prescription Drug Abuse in Workers' Comp," an hour-long webinar on Thursday, Sept. 1, starting 1 p.m. (PDT)/ 4 p.m. EDT.

25 Aug 2011

Covidien third quarter net sales increase 14% to $2.93 billion

Covidien plc today reported results for the third quarter of fiscal 2011. Net sales of $2.93 billion increased 14% from the $2.56 billion reported in the third quarter a year ago.

26 Jul 2011

Ameritox launches Rx Guardian CD, next-generation pain-medication monitoring solution

Ameritox, the leader in pain-medication monitoring, today announced the launch of Rx Guardian CD, its next-generation pain-medication monitoring solution and part of the patented Rx Guardian process.

9 Jun 2011

Cabozantinib shows early promise in treatment of prostate cancer spread to the bone

A new drug to treat prostate cancer shows early promise, particularly against tumors that have spread to the bone, a multi-site study shows.

8 Jun 2011

Artificial discs a viable alternative to fusion surgery for two-level lumbar degenerative disc disease

When two adjacent discs in the low back wear out, become compressed and cause unmanageable pain, numbness or other symptoms, replacement with artificial discs can be a viable alternative to standard fusion surgery, based on two-year post-surgery data from a randomized, multicenter trial recently published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

21 May 2011