Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly最新文献

A safety alert from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) about a rise in illegal online pharmacies that are marketing as legitimate pharmaceuticals pills actually made with fentanyl and methamphetamine reinforces the presence of a trend in fentanyl supply that has been developing for some time.

Putting profits over public health is not endorsed by Nora Volkow, M.D., director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). She had some choice words for commercial interests involved in the addiction field in a brave Sept. 26 blog. Preying on the vulnerable — with drugs, social media, gambling, processed food and other addictive products — is something she knows how to zone in on as an evil.

People with opioid use disorder (OUD) who are referred to treatment by the criminal justice system are less likely than they should be to receive medication treatment, a study has found. According to the study, “Disparities in Medication Use for Criminal Justice System –Referred Opioid Use Disorder Treatment,” by J. Travis Donahoe, Ph.D., with Brendan K. Saloner, Ph.D., as lead author, other referral sources do refer to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), but the criminal justice system is less likely to.

To say that OTPs “have to comply” misses the point, actually, because they want to comply with new methadone rules. They asked for them, fought for them in fact, as our stories over the years have detailed. Fought against the Drug Enforcement Administration's fear of diversion, against the competition from non-OTPs, against federal bureaucrats. Thanks to leadership of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) under Yngvild Olsen, M.D., the new rules support OTPs, patients, and maximizing quality treatment access.

The Addiction Health Services Research Conference will be held October 16-18 in San Francisco. For more information, go to https://www.ahsrconference.org/2024/

Late last month, representatives of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) convened in Washington, D.C., to meet on three main topics: utilizing telemedicine to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) with medications, making methadone treatment more accessible for patients with OUD (meaning, remove opioid treatment programs [OTPs] as the sole prescribers), and covering residential treatment for addiction for Medicare patients.

Last month's sudden closure of a venture capital-fueled company that had rapidly become one of Minnesota's most prominent providers of peer recovery support services has left clients and peer specialists scrambling, and has community leaders wondering if industry reforms could prevent similar crises in the future.

An industry trade show was the stage used to promote unauthorized e-cigarette products, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cracked down by sending warning letters to the manufacturers and retailers. “Regulated industry should be aware that CTP [Center for Tobacco Products] obtains leads that inform investigations from many sources, including trade shows,” said John Verbeten, director of CTP's Office of Compliance and Enforcement. “We remain committed to identifying and taking action against those breaking the law, including at these events.” The FDA CTP staff attended the trade show. They noted that regulated entities must comply with all applicable requirements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Under these requirements, the sale and distribution of unauthorized tobacco products is illegal, including at industry events such as trade shows or expositions. The FDA also announced the issuance of warning letters to five online retailers for selling unauthorized e-cigarette products popular with youth. The FDA is engaging in ongoing efforts to prevent retailers and others from supplying unauthorized e-cigarettes. The FDA has issued more than 690 warning letters and more than 140 civil money penalty actions. The FDA has authorized 34 e-cigarette products and devices, and these are the only ones that can be lawfully marketed in the United States. For that list, go to https://digitalmedia.hhs.gov/tobacco/print_materials/CTP-250?locale=en.

Researchers have found that higher doses of buprenorphine for people with opioid use disorder (OUD) are associated with lower rates of future emergency department (ED) and inpatient care for behavioral health problems.

According to urine drug tests, carfentanil, a lethal illegal analog of fentanyl, is surging across the United States. A Sept. 24 Millennium Health Signals Alert reported an uptick in detections since the substance reemerged in 2023.