Inspector General reproached the DEA over its prodigious use of civil forfeiture, which let the agency confiscate over $3.2 billion

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve

Federal Audit: Secret Surveillance Program Helped DEA Seize Over $50 Million In Cash And Real Estate https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicksibilla/2019/04/09/federal-audit-secret-surveillance-program-helped-dea-seize-over-50-million-in-cash-and-real-estate/#333d583337de Under a sweeping surveillance program, the Drug Enforcement Administration secretly spied on Americans who bought money counters, “the vast majority” of whom “were never shown to be connected to illicit drug-related activities.” In an extensive audit, the U.S. […]

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Why Does Medicine Cost So Much? Here’s How Drug Prices Are Set

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve

Why Does Medicine Cost So Much? Here’s How Drug Prices Are Set http://time.com/5564547/drug-prices-medicine/ From 2007 to 2016, Mylan raised the list price of its EpiPen about 500%, from just under $100 to more than $600. From 2002 to 2013, insulin prices more than tripled. From 2012 to 2019, the average price of AbbVie’s rheumatoid-arthritis drug […]

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Insurers’ Denials of Opioid Coverage Spurs CDC to Clarify Guidelines

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve

Insurers’ Denials of Opioid Coverage Spurs CDC to Clarify Guidelines https://consumer.healthday.com/bone-and-joint-information-4/opioids-990/insurers-denials-of-opioid-coverage-spurs-cdc-to-clarify-guidelines-744875.html TUESDAY, April 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — People with severe pain from cancer or sickle cell anemia should not be denied coverage for opioid painkillers, a new clarification on federal guidelines states. In the wake of the national opioid epidemic, various medical societies had […]

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Stories from The Front – What Chronic Pain Patients Are Saying About Suicide

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve

Stories from The Front – What Chronic Pain Patients Are Saying About Suicide www.nationalpainreport.com/stories-from-the-front-what-chronic-pain-patients-are-saying-about-suicide-8839500.html When our friend, Terri Lewis Ph.D., announced she was looking for data about people with chronic pain who either have considered suicide or whose family member took their own life, we thought we’d help. She is trying to create a subset […]

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Opioid overdoses: NOT A PRESCRIBING CRISIS – an addiction crisis

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve

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An ‘Interview’ With Dr. Andrew Kolodny

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve

An ‘Interview’ With Dr. Andrew Kolodny By Josh Bloom — April 1, 2019 https://www.acsh.org/news/2019/04/01/interview-dr-andrew-kolodny-13921 Dr. Andrew Kolodny, one of the world’s premier experts on addiction and drugs was kind enough to sit down with me to discuss some very tough questions regarding the ongoing opioid crisis in the US. We all owe Dr. Kolodny much gratitude for […]

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FDA identifies harm reported from sudden discontinuation of opioid pain medicines and requires label changes to guide prescribers on gradual, individualized tapering

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Pharmaciststeve

FDA identifies harm reported from sudden discontinuation of opioid pain medicines and requires label changes to guide prescribers on gradual, individualized tapering https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm635038.htm [4-9-2019] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received reports of serious harm in patients who are physically dependent on opioid pain medicines suddenly having these medicines discontinued or the dose […]

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