(Reuters Health)—More than two-thirds of surgery patients in a recent study had prescription opioids left over after they recovered from their operations, and the vast majority failed to safely store or dispose of the often misused and abused pills, researchers say. “Unused opioids that have been prescribed for pain after surgery serve as an important…
Search results for: Opioid abuse
U.S. Launches Opioid Fraud and Detection Unit
(Reuters)—U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions unveiled on Wednesday a plan to go after doctors and pharmacies suspected of healthcare fraud by over-prescribing and unbridled distribution of addictive pain medications known as opioids. In a speech at a Columbus, Ohio, police academy, Sessions said a new Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit pilot program would also…
More Than a Third of U.S. Adults Prescribed Opioids in 2015
(Reuters Health)—The U.S. needs to curb excessive opioid prescribing and improve access to pain management techniques, suggests a new government study. Researchers found that more than one third of U.S. adults were prescribed the medications in 2015 and many also misused the drugs. “A very large proportion and large number of adults use these medications…
U.S. Senator Expands Opioid Probe to Distributors, Drugmakers
(Reuters)—U.S. Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill on Thursday expanded an investigation into the causes of the opioid crisis plaguing the country, seeking information from four more drugmakers and three drug distributors. The top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is focusing on the distribution of opioids and the efforts companies made to…
Mallinckrodt Settles U.S. Opioid Drug Probe for $35 million
(Reuters)—Mallinckrodt Plc., one of the largest manufacturers of the generic opioid painkiller oxycodone, will pay $35 million to resolve allegations that it failed to report suspicious drug orders, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday. The deal, in which Mallinckrodt did not admit wrongdoing, marked a record settlement of claims that a drugmaker failed to properly…
FDA Asks Endo to Withdraw Opana ER Opioid
(Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it has asked Endo International to withdraw from the market its long-lasting opioid painkiller Opana ER, sending the company’s shares down as much as 13%. “After careful consideration, the agency is seeking removal based on its concern that the benefits of the drug may no longer…
Rheumatologists Respond to Prescription Opioid Analgesic Crisis
The alarming statistics on prescription opioid overdoses are well known to medical professionals, thanks to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s widely cited finding that deaths from opioid analgesics have increased fourfold since 1999.1 Half of all fatal drug overdoses now involve opioids prescribed by a doctor. Meanwhile, a lack of rigorous research…
U.S. Senator Launches Probe into 5 Top Opioid Drugmakers
(Reuters)—U.S. Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill sought on Tuesday details from the nation’s top opioid drugmakers on their sales and marketing practices, as lawmakers step up efforts to tackle the country’s deadly opioid crisis. The Missouri senator’s investigation comes amid an epidemic of opioid addiction, with 91 Americans dying everyday as a result of overdose, according…
Would Legalizing Medical Marijuana Help Curb the Opioid Epidemic?
(Reuters Health)—In states that legalized medical marijuana, U.S. hospitals failed to see a predicted influx of pot smokers, but in an unexpected twist, they treated far fewer opioid users, a new study shows. Hospitalization rates for opioid painkiller dependence and abuse dropped on average 23% in states after marijuana was permitted for medicinal purposes, the…
Pain Management Research Sheds Light on Postsurgical Pain Sensitization, Opioid Risks, Nondrug Interventions
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Successful management of pain remains a challenge for rheumatologists. Five research abstracts presented at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in a session titled Pain—Basic and Clinical Aspects offered new insights on pain sensitization, and the risks and effects of various pain therapies. Knee Pain After Surgery Can we predict which patients will have longer-term…
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