(Reuters Health)—The risk that surgery patients will become chronic opioid users may be similar after minor procedures or major operations, a U.S. study suggests. Three to six months after surgery, new chronic opioid use was about 5.9% with minor operations and 6.5% with major surgery, the study found. The rate was just 0.4% in people…
The Risks of Opana Extended Release
In March, an FDA advisory committee voted that the risks of Opana ER to public health outweigh its benefits as a chronic pain treatment…
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…
Prescription-Drug Monitoring Cuts Doctor-Shopping for Painkillers
(Reuters Health)—State programs that require physicians to check drug registries before writing prescriptions appeared to slash the odds of doctor-shopping for opioid pain relievers, a new study found. “Our study shows that prescription-drug monitoring programs are a promising component of a multifaceted strategy to address the opioid epidemic,” Ryan Mutter, one of the study authors,…
U.S. Senators Question Kaleo’s $4,500 tag on Opioid Overdose Treatment
(Reuters)—U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) on Thursday asked Kaleo Pharmaceuticals to justify the more than 550% surge in the price of its device to treat opioid overdoses, becoming the second senator to question Evzio’s $4,500 price tag. Evzio contains the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and can be used in emergencies by people without medical training. Privately…
Physicians Asked to Join AMA Efforts to Reduce Opioid Abuse
In 2014, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) was one of 25 healthcare associations invited to participate in an initiative by the American Medical Association (AMA) to reduce the public health epidemic posed by the abuse of prescription opioids.1 The AMA initiative is based on the belief that physicians are professionally obligated to participate in…
Cigna Ends Preauthorization Requirement to Treat Opioid Addiction
(Reuters)—Health insurer Cigna Corp. has discontinued its policy of requiring doctors to seek authorization before treating opioid addicts, as part of a fight against an epidemic of opioid abuse, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said on Friday. The policy change will apply nationally, says Schneiderman, who has been pushing for easier access to treatments…