Addiction Treatment Forum reports on substance abuse news of interest to opioid treatment programs and patients in methadone maintenance treatment.
The Fix evaluates Vivitrol, the newest anti-addiction drug—actually an injectable form of an old pill. It’s definitely better than nothing. But is it $1,100 a month better?
http://www.thefix.com/content/vivitrol-naltrexone-addiction-craving8033?page=all
Source: The Fix.com – April 30, 2013
“U.S. health regulators announced that they will not approve any generic versions of the original form of the pain medication OxyContin, which was widely abused because it could be crushed and then snorted or injected to produce a quick high.
At the same time, the Food and Drug Administration also approved new labeling for a reformulated OxyContin, which was introduced by privately held manufacturer Purdue Pharma L.P. in 2010. The label will indicate that the tablets’ physical and chemical properties make them more difficult to crush, meaning that abuse is less likely than with the original.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/16/us-oxycontin-label-idUSBRE93F1F920130416
Source: Reuters.com – April 16, 2013
“A single hospital’s costs to treat neonatal abstinence syndrome in infants born to opioid-dependent mothers who received opioid replacement therapy during pregnancy totaled more than $4 million during a 3-year period, a new study shows.
The average length of stay for infants in the study ranged from 15.1 days in year 2 to 16.2 days in year 3, Dr. Roussos-Ross reported. The average total charge per infant and per hospitalization ranged from $19,535 in year 2 to $28,592 in year 3. Hospital costs per year for treating these neonates were $1.1 million in the first year, nearly $1.5 million in the second, and $1.8 million in the third year, according to the data presented.”
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/803656
Source: Medscape.com – May 6, 2013
“Genes tied to addiction in adults may help guide doctors to better treatments for infants born withdrawing from narcotics, according to researchers who identified the genetic link.
Babies exposed in the womb to opioid drugs who have certain variations to two genes had less severe withdrawal symptoms than those without the variants, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The babies left the hospital sooner and needed fewer treatments, researchers said. The study, the first to look at the link between genetics and opioid withdrawal in infants, may help researchers find more effective way to treat these babies, said Jonathan Davis, senior study author and chief of newborn medicine at Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.”
Source: BusinessWeek.com – April 30, 2013
“Opioid overdose is typically reversible through the timely administration of the drug naloxone and the provision of emergency care. However, access to naloxone and other emergency treatment is often limited by laws and that pre-date the overdose epidemic. In an attempt to reverse this unprecedented increase in preventable overdose deaths, a number of states have recently amended those laws to increase access to emergency care and treatment for opiate overdose.”
The Network for Public Health Law has published an update on access to naloxone by state and Good Samaritan laws.
http://www.networkforphl.org/_asset/qz5pvn/network-naloxone-10-4.pdf
Source: Network for Public Health Law – May, 2013
“Under healthcare reform, millions of people will become eligible for insurance coverage starting in January. The number of people seeking addiction treatment could double the article notes.
The federal government is urging states to expand their Medicaid programs. If 20 states do so, an additional 3.8 million patients with addiction problems would receive insurance, the AP notes. If almost all of the states expanded their Medicaid program, that number could reach 5.5 million. The law also designates addiction treatment as an “essential health benefit” for most commercial health plans.”
Source: JoinTogether.org – April 17, 2013
In an exclusive interview, The Fix talks with the co-chairs of the Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus about what the US is getting right and wrong.
It’s been said that addiction and recovery don’t get enough attention in Washington, DC—a result of the stigma attached to the disease, as well as the reluctance of some sober people to speak out about what they and their families have been through. And the latter is precisely what is needed to push forward a positive legislative agenda on addiction and recovery, according to Rep. Tim Ryan, Democrat of Ohio, who co-chairs the 62-member Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus alongside Rep. John Fleming, Republican of Louisiana, who is a physician.
Questions and Answers include:
Source: TheFix.com – May 3, 2013
“Drug courts have made a surprisingly small contribution to the crime reduction that has occurred over the past twenty years. They process only a small fraction of drug-involved offenders within the criminal justice system, and an even smaller fraction of offenders who commit serious crimes. Most chronic cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine users who reach court will end up in jail or prison, often for minor crimes.
Drug courts could be more helpful in reducing crime and incarceration, but only if they become more ambitious and less risk-averse by taking in populations likely to serve real time.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/26/how-to-make-drug-courts-work/
Source: WashingtonPost.com – April 26, 2013
This article provides an excellent recap of the second National Rx Drug Abuse Summit held April 2-4, 2013, in Orlando, Florida. Nearly 900 people from 49 states and two other countries attended the conference.
“A national outcry about the human cost of prescription drug abuse is needed if efforts to stop this national epidemic are to be successful. People of great passion and perspective are here wanting to make an impact in their communities,” said Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-5th), chair of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, whose efforts to address prescription drug abuse have been recognized nationally.
“The first step is we have to admit there is a problem,” said Rogers, co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse. “I don’t think the country is there yet. We’ve got to face up to it. We’ve got to make this known … and that we’re not going to hide from it.”
Source: WorkersCompensation.com – April 12, 2013
“A new national public opinion poll commissioned by Research!America shows only 18% of respondents believe chronic pain is a major health problem, even though a majority of Americans (63%) say they know someone who experienced pain so severe that they sought prescription medicines to treat it. Chronic pain conditions affect about 100 million U.S. adults at a cost of approximately $600 billion annually in direct medical treatment costs and lost productivity.
Most Americans are concerned about the misuse of pain medication to treat chronic pain. A high percentage (82%) believes that taking prescription painkillers for long-term, chronic pain could result in addiction, which nearly 50% of Americans describe as a major health problem. An overwhelming majority (85%) are very concerned or somewhat concerned that prescription pain medication can be abused or misused. Indeed, 40% believe that prescription medication abuse and addiction is a major problem in their community.”
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/258897.php
Source: MedicalNewsToday.com – April 12, 2013
“The rollout of the Affordable Care Act is a huge opportunity to both reduce prescription drug abuse and improve the care of pain. The ACA names essential benefits that must be included in new programs, such as state insurance exchanges and Medicaid expansions that will serve as models for all insurers. These include a requirement for treatment of mental health and substance-use disorders in parity with other medical conditions that can potentially expand access to care for millions who need it.
Reducing pain and reducing drug abuse are not, as commonly thought, at odds. Members of Congress can fight prescription drug abuse and pain together by ensuring that the powerful opportunities afforded by the ACA to advance pain research and improve care of persons with chronic pain and with addiction disorders are fully realized in its implementation.”
Source: Rollcall.com – April 5, 2013
“In summary, Washington’s Good Samaritan overdose law has coincided with a great deal of progress on overdose education efforts throughout the state without any major negative consequences. We have found that collaboration among diverse stakeholders is critical to spreading the word about overdose prevention and response. The Good Samaritan law in Washington was an important catalyst for this progress, and we encourage other states to involve public health, law enforcement, medical and treatment professionals, and advocacy organizations in spreading the word about the need for overdose education and the protections provided by Good Samaritan overdose laws. Other states also may wish to consider cost-neutral ways of explicitly identifying an agency or standing work group to convene a multi-agency task force to help implement overdose-related laws in their legislation.”
Source: WhiteHouse.gov – March 29, 2013
A new book on addiction was released April 2 that has received a lot of press coverage.
Amazon.com describes the book as “Addiction is a preventable, treatable disease, not a moral failing. As with other illnesses, the approaches most likely to work are based on science — not on faith, tradition, contrition, or wishful thinking. These facts are the foundation of Clean, a myth-shattering look at drug abuse by the author of Beautiful Boy. Based on the latest research in psychology, neuroscience, and medicine, Clean is a leap beyond the traditional approaches to prevention and treatment of addiction and the mental illnesses that usually accompany it. The existing treatment system, including Twelve Step programs and rehabs, has helped some, but it has failed to help many more, and David Sheff explains why. He spent time with scores of scientists, doctors, counselors, and addicts and their families to learn how addiction works and what can effectively treat it. Clean offers clear, cogent counsel for parents and others who want to prevent drug problems and for addicts and their loved ones no matter what stage of the illness they’re in. But it is also a book for all of us — a powerful rethinking of the greatest public health challenge of our time.”
The link to the book at Amazon.com is: http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Overcoming-Addiction-Americas-Greatest/dp/054784865X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364908254&sr=1-4&keywords=clean
Join Together interviewed David Sheff the book’s author to discuss his exploration into the science, prevention and treatment of addiction. The two part interview is available at:
http://www.drugfree.org/join-together/addiction/david-sheff-author-of-clean-interview-part-2-of-2?utm_source=Join%20Together%20Daily&utm_campaign=35128f3594-JT_Daily_News_David_Sheff_Author_of&utm_medium=email
David Sheff also wrote an opinion article for Time.com that is available at:
http://ideas.time.com/2013/04/03/we-need-to-rethink-rehab/
Sources: Amazon.com, JoinTogether, Time.com – April 2013
“Kids born between the years 1984 and 1990 abuse painkillers (the cause of three of every four overdoses) 40 percent more than any other age group or time before them. A study published in Health Affairs suggests that the increase in fatal drug overdoses among youth has grown so severe that it is a major contributor” in the gap between life expectancy in the U.S. and other high-income countries.
Source: TheAtlantic.com – March 8, 2013
“All over the world, women have always had lower rates of addiction than men. But when women gain more rights as nations grow richer, they begin to catch up; in one drug type, they’re already ahead.
Although women in wealthier countries can belly up to the bar without stigma, the stigma against female addicts remains considerable. This shaming is most intense for women who are mothers—in rich and poor nations alike. This situation may act as a check on addiction among mothers, but it also presents severe obstacles to women who abuse drugs and alcohol seeking recovery. Women are less likely than men to enter treatment, according to a UN report, citing ‘responsibility for children, lack of access to child care services, and society’s punitive attitude toward substance abuse by women, especially as child bearers’.”
http://www.thefix.com/content/addiction-global-gender-gap-women-equal-opportunity8151
Source: TheFix.com – March 7, 2013
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