Narcotics News and Research

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Research on spatial memories may lead to potential treatments for addiction and obesity

A researcher from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta has discovered a mechanism underlying some forms of obesity and addictions which could lead to a treatment for both diseases.

5 Oct 2010

Report says drugmakers failing to give Medicaid adequate price data

Drug manufacturers often flout a federal law that requires them to provide the government with pricing data needed to calculate discounts on medications prescribed for poor people under Medicaid, federal investigators say in a new report.

4 Oct 2010

Senate Committee: Indian Health Service hired cons, let workers steal drugs, excessive time off

The Associated Press: "The federal Indian Health Service has hired convicted criminals, failed to stop employees from stealing narcotics and allowed workers to take paid leave for more than a year while being investigated for misconduct, a federal investigation has found.

30 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 29, 2010

In today's headlines, reports about the continuing politics surrounding the health overhaul, as both parties vie for the loyalty of older voters and First Lady Michelle Obama steps up efforts to promote the new law.

29 Sep 2010

LSUHSC hosts international scientific conference on drug abuse research and politics

Topics ranging from the future of addiction research and treatment to the binational implications of Mexico's decriminalization of drugs will be presented at the 10th Annual International Conference of the National Hispanic Science Network (NHSN) on Drug Abuse September 30 - October 2, 2010 at The Westin New Orleans Canal Place.

23 Sep 2010

ACTION Ontario applauds Narcotics Safety and Awareness bill

ACTION Ontario, a non-profit group advocating on behalf of chronic pain sufferers, applauds the provincial government's Narcotics Safety and Awareness bill and encourages the government to take the next step and also address the underlying issue of pain with a comprehensive strategy.

17 Sep 2010

Cocaine use on the rise in Australia

The number of cocaine abuse related arrests has risen in Sydney's CBD and an increasing number of users of the drug are being treated in hospitals. According to the latest NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research figures arrests for possession and use of the drug have risen by 76.6 per cent in the past two years.

8 Sep 2010

CAMH welcomes Ontario's narcotics strategy to address inappropriate use of prescription opioids

The Government of Ontario's narcotics strategy will address the root causes of a significant and growing health problem - the inappropriate use of prescription opioids. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) welcomes the strategy announced by The Honourable Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

30 Aug 2010

ACTION Ontario encourages provincial narcotics strategy announcement

ACTION Ontario, a non-profit group advocating on behalf of chronic pain sufferers, welcomes the announcement of a provincial narcotics strategy and encourages the government to act on the underlying issue of chronic pain.

30 Aug 2010

Obama administration touts federal efforts to combat health care fraud

The Los Angeles Times: Obama administration officials at a meeting in Los Angeles Thursday touted their efforts to crack down on health care fraud, "saying quickly expanding criminal enterprises are costing taxpayers billions of dollars each year. ... Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said their agencies were jointly targeting fraud in the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs.

27 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 27, 2010

In the headlines today, news about U.S. plans to step up efforts to crack down on health care fraud.

27 Aug 2010

Mass. docs will soon track patients who abuse prescription drugs; Wis. Catholic Church employees now eligible for birth control

The Boston Globe: "With a few computer keystrokes, Massachusetts physicians will soon be able to identify patients who travel from clinic to clinic in pursuit of potent prescription drugs that feed lethal addictions. State health regulators yesterday unanimously approved the new detection system designed to stop 'doctor shopping' by addicted patients who try to dupe doctors into prescribing narcotics. The practice, specialists said, has fueled a surge in drug-related deaths in Massachusetts" (Smith, 8/12).

13 Aug 2010

Researchers discover manipulation of microRNA-29a shows potential of novel IBS treatment

A possible cause of irritable bowel syndrome has been traced to a small piece of RNA that blocks a substance protecting the colon membrane, leading to hostile conditions that can produce diarrhea, bloating and chronic abdominal pain.New research shows that this RNA segment sends signals that stop the activity of the gene that produces glutamine, an amino acid. Previous research has linked a shortage of glutamine in the gut with the seepage of toxins and bacteria through the intestinal wall, irritating nerves and creating disease symptoms.

3 Aug 2010

Wash. regulations would restrict pain killer prescriptions; Texas Lt. Gov. bemoans costs associated with health law; Fla. insurance pilot project shows early success

The New York Times: "In an unusual move, a state government is developing regulations meant to stop doctors from prescribing higher doses of powerful — and often dangerous — pain killers for patients who are not benefiting from them. The effort, in Washington State, represents the most sweeping attempt yet to stem what some experts see as the excessive use of prescribed narcotics, and it is being closely watched by medical professionals elsewhere.

30 Jul 2010

New drug to treat chronic pain in SCD patients

A University of Minnesota Medical School research team led by Kalpna Gupta, Ph.D., has discovered that cannibinoids offer a novel approach to ease the chronic and acute pain caused by sickle cell disease.Using a mouse model of SCD, Gupta and University of Minnesota colleagues studied the pain mechanisms by observing animals that exhibited both musculoskeletal pain and temperature sensitivity, symptoms similarly experienced by humans with SCD. The team compared two classifications of drugs in their ability to manage pain sensed by the animals, the traditionally prescribed classification of drugs, opioids, with a new therapeutic approach, cannabinoids, a synthetic compound based on marijuana derivatives. Currently, the only approved treatment for management of severe pain in SCD is opioids.

23 Jul 2010

Foreign ops subcommittee discusses corruption in Afghanistan, potential of withholding non-humanitarian funding

Ahead of Wednesday's mark-up of the FY 2011 state and foreign ops appropriations bill, Foreign Policy's "The Cable" blog examines recent comments made by House Foreign Operations Subcommittee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) in which she "promised … to remove all the Afghanistan foreign operations and aid money from next year's funding unless she can be assured none of the funds are being wasted due to corruption in the Afghanistan government."

1 Jul 2010

Ahead of International AIDS Conference, health experts call for scientifically-based drug policies

Ahead of the International AIDS Conference, scheduled to kick off July 18, health experts on Monday called for a rethinking of international drug policies to incorporate greater scientific evidence and increase access to HIV prevention, treatment and care, the Associated Press reports (6/28).

29 Jun 2010

Constipation prophylaxis in sickle cell patients needs increased attention

Not all patients with sickle cell disease receive laxatives after being treated with narcotics, despite recommendations from a collaborative panel of pediatric experts. These are the findings from a Nationwide Children's Hospital study examining patients from 29 pediatric hospitals, and appearing in Pediatric Blood & Cancer.

17 Jun 2010

U.S. State Department releases 2010 report on human trafficking

The U.S. State Department on Monday released its 2010 report on human trafficking, which "grades 175 nations on their efforts to fight this modern form of slavery," Bloomberg Businessweek reports (Kate/Gaouette, 6/15).

16 Jun 2010

Scientists combine two agents to treat patients with multiple myeloma

Scientists from the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit presented data showing that by combining two treatment agents in the care of multiple myeloma patients, doctors can use higher dosages of chemotherapy before autologous stem cell transplant while alleviating painful and debilitating side effects like severe oral mucositis (mouth ulcers).

8 Jun 2010