What is needed now is a concerted effort to greatly expand access to high-quality care for pain and for substance use disorders

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

Doctors reduce opioid prescriptions, study finds https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/doctors-reduce-opioid-prescriptions-study-finds Doctors have reduced their prescribing of opioid painkillers for the fifth year in a row, the nation’s largest physician group announced. The American Medical Association found that between 2013 and 2017, the number of opioid prescriptions fell by more than 55 million, a 22.2 percent decrease. Doctors also […]

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more people who die from overdoses were killed by illegal substances, including fentanyl, as opposed to pharmaceutical opioids.

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

Maine drug deaths remain high in early 2018, with fentanyl on the rise www.pressherald.com/2018/06/01/drug-deaths-decline-slightly-in-early-2018-but-fentanyl-on-the-rise/ The number of people killed by drug overdoses in Maine during the first three months of the year fell slightly from last year, state authorities said Friday, although deaths caused by Maine’s ongoing opioid crisis are still near all-time highs. Between […]

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Drug access law Trump just signed will cripple FDA—senator is making sure of it

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/06/new-drug-access-law-intended-to-weaken-fda-according-to-lawmaker-behind-it Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) isn’t mincing words about his so-called “right to try” bill, signed into law by President Trump on Wednesday. In a feisty letter to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb Thursday, Johnson put things bluntly: “this law intends to diminish the FDA’s power.” The revelation substantiates a leading criticism of […]

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Article sent to all Pharmacists from Boards of Pharmacies that have monthly newletter

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

Latest NDTA Shows Opioids Pose Significant Impact to Public Health https://nabp.pharmacy/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Kentucky-Newsletter-June-2018.pdf Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) indicates a significant shift in the overall drug threat reported by law enforcement over the last 10 years with opioids (including controlled prescription drugs, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, and heroin) reaching epidemic levels and impact – ing significant portions […]

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Nursing Home: FINED $5000 for failure to accept pt on buprenorphine

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

Settlement clarifies discrimination for buprenorphine use https://www.behavioral.net/article/ethics/settlement-clarifies-discrimination-buprenorphine-use A Massachusetts skilled nursing facility reached a settlement recently with a U.S. attorney’s office in a pivotal discrimination case. It’s the first known case involving a patient being refused admission based on the patient’s use of buprenorphine for opioid use disorder. Perhaps more significant is the prevailing position […]

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Whistleblower files lawsuit against CVS Caremark for falsifying drug prices

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

https://www.wkyc.com/article/money/consumer/whistleblower-files-lawsuit-against-cvs-caremark-for-falsifying-drug-prices/95-560447195 A huge whistleblower lawsuit has been filed against CVS Caremark, alleging it over billed the Government by hundreds of millions of dollars in an elaborate pricing scheme. And that the money lost, impacted millions of Ohioans on Medicare. But if the allegations are true, the fraud could impact many more. The case centers around […]

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