Guidance on pharmacotherapy for opioid use disorder (OUD) availability in circumstances in which patients may be exposed to highly contagious infectious agents (such as COVID-19)
A report recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that kratom, a widely available herbal supplement, was found to be the a cause of at least 91 overdose deaths in the U.S. between 2016 and 2017. Kratom, which has been
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published a new study1 that confirms an increase in drug overdose deaths in 2017 compared with the previous year. The study reveals that of the 70,237 drug overdose deaths in 2017, 47,600 (67.8 percent) involved opioids, representing
Opioid use disorder (OUD) can affect anyone, including infants and expectant mothers. The number of pregnant women with OUD at the time of delivery quadrupled from 1999 to 2014, from 1.5 to 6.5 per 1,000 delivery hospitalizations. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Even as federal and state governments make efforts to stem the growing opioid epidemic through legislation to monitor and limit the availability of prescription painkillers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week released provisional estimates that indicate a continuing rise in overdose deaths, most notably
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that a person on probation with a condition to remain drug-free may be put in jail after one positive drug test. This case has been watched closely by many who work with people struggling with substance use disorder,
This week U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions proposed changes to U.S. drug manufacturing quotas as part of the Justice Department’s new initiatives to combat the opioid epidemic. In the last decade, more than 250,000 deaths were related to opioid overdose, according to the New York
Emergency department (ED) visits for suspected opioid overdoses increased 35 percent across 16 states from July 2016 to September 2017, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In total, the CDC found more than 140,0000 suspected opioid overdose
The presidential opioid commission today released its final report on ways to combat opioid overdoses and drug addiction across the United States. Noting that 175 people currently die of drug overdoses in the U.S. every day, the commission urged immediate federal action to change the
Much of drug testing, particularly in the criminal justice arena, relies on classic urine testing. These tests are the historical go-to tests because they are quick and can check for a large number of illicit and abused substances. However, there is a tendency to over-interpret
The use of plant materials to relieve suffering, treat illness or in religious ceremonies has a long history. Occasionally, the Industry News section will look more closely at the history of a substance to help create context around pharmaceuticals that are a standard drug of
Clinical toxicology testing helps clinicians and case workers help patients by providing critical information about substances in a patient’s system. There are two main testing platforms: qualitative (meaning the test is either positive or negative) and quantitative (meaning the test measures drug concentration). Screening (also