Current Events
The dominoes continue to fall for opioid makers and distributors. On June 10th, Insys Therapeutics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It is the first opioid manufacturer to do so. The bankruptcy comes just five days after the Phoenix-based drugmaker agreed to pay a $225 million settlement to the federal government over allegations that it […]
It was early in the day on Christmas Eve. Before the dental surgeon went off on holiday, he saw one last patient for a complex wisdom tooth extraction. That’s not quite accurate. All four of the teenager’s impacted wisdom teeth were going to be removed. The procedure went smoothly and the young man and his […]
What prevents people struggling with substance abuse from undergoing treatment? Start counting the ways. We interrupt this exercise to offer a reason that may not be top of mind. One word sums it up: transportation. Having a means of getting to treatment makes a difference. How important is it? An article in Modern Healthcare explains. […]
The Saga Continues… After several months of high-profile lawsuits against some of the country’s biggest opioid companies filling the headlines, we have reached what is perhaps the most dramatic episode yet. Earlier this month, a federal jury convicted top executives at the pharmaceutical producer Insys Therapeutics of bribing doctors to hock its fentanyl-based painkiller, among […]
Did Lynette Scavo deserve the moniker “desperate” in the former TV series Desperate Housewives? You bet ya’. Here’s a case in point. In “Running to Stand Still,” during the first season, this mother of young children had way too much to do in a compressed amount of time. How did she accomplish her must-do tasks? […]
When we last left Purdue Pharma and its Sackler family owners, they were deliberating a new line of products. It was the year 2014, marked by massive numbers of users addicted to Purdue’s OxyContin pills and other opioids. The team recognized the crisis they helped make; however, rather than seek ways to stave it, they […]
Is the opioid crisis a recent phenomenon or did it unfold over time? According to a CNN timeline, the opioid problem surfaced in the 1860’s. During the Civil War, medics used morphine as an anesthetic when treating fighters wounded in battle. As a result, many soldiers became addicted to morphine. The next major date in […]
New Charges in the Opioid Arena As the United States continues to endure the worst of the opioid epidemic, the nation has reached the point where it starts asking difficult questions. Like all those who’ve found themselves in crises of various types throughout history, there’s a watershed moment where one pauses, considers their situation, and […]
Although national studies show that underage alcohol use has steadily declined since 2002, there were still 7.4 million drinkers between the ages of 12 and 20 in 2017.1 With this in mind, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is leveraging Alcohol Awareness Month in April and National Prevention Week May 12-18 to bring […]
In April 2016, rock legend Prince, suffering from intense hip pain, consumed a Vicodin for relief. Shortly afterward, he overdosed and died at his Paisley Park estate. Investigators determined that the pill was counterfeit and laced with fentanyl and that Prince, in all likelihood, did not know it. That incident brought attention to fentanyl on […]
Well, the time has come at long last; the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has stepped in to the opioid epidemic arena. And it did so by prescribing firm action regarding opioid research. The agency issued a mandate that applies to all manufacturers of opioid drugs. It requires them to conduct long-term studies for one express […]
Oh, the pain….whether it comes from an accident, surgery, or other cause, the narcotic painkiller du jour prescribed by doctors far and wide was OxyContin. Available legally by prescription, this substance came on the market in 1996 from its maker, Purdue Pharma. And when it did, an aggressive sales and marketing strategy touted its benefits. […]
