Doctors, Researchers Push Back Against FDA’s Opioid Effectiveness Study
The Food and Drug Administration plans to investigate whether opioids are effective as long-term treatments for chronic pain, but Stat notes that some argue the study could be biased in favor of opioids' efficacy. Meanwhile the nation's first state-regulated overdose prevention center will open in 2024.
Stat:
FDA’s New Plan To Study Opioids’ Effectiveness Faces Resistance
A planned clinical trial, doctors and researchers argued on Wednesday, would not yield significant new information about whether opioids are effective as long-term treatments for chronic pain. The study, some charged, would be biased in favor of opioids’ efficacy — and by extension, biased in favor of painkiller manufacturers. (Facher, 4/19)
Overdoses are in the spotlight —
The Boston Globe:
First State-Regulated Overdose Prevention Center In US Slated To Open In Rhode Island In Early 2024
The nation’s first state-regulated overdose prevention center is slated to open in early 2024 in Providence. The center is expected to be staffed by the street outreach organization Project Weber/RENEW, in partnership with CODAC Behavioral Healthcare. The two organizations, which had submitted a proposal that was eventually selected by the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, have proposed that the center be located on Huntington Avenue in Providence in a building CODAC already owns and operates. (Gagosz, 4/19)
San Francisco Chronicle:
SF Drug Crisis: 'Enormous Rise' In 2023 Overdose Deaths
Fatal overdoses in San Francisco killed dozens more people in the first three months of this year compared with the same period last year. It is an alarming jump that frustrates hopes that the city’s overdose numbers would decline post-pandemic. Rather, overdose deaths have returned to the highs seen in 2020 during lockdowns. (Leonard, 4/19)
ClickonDetroit.com:
Officials: Fentanyl-Laced Cocaine Linked To 18 Overdoses In 2-Day Span In West Michigan
Western Michigan health officials say fentanyl-laced cocaine is behind the sudden spike in deadly overdose cases in Kalamazoo County. The Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department said between April 12 and April 13, a total of 18 overdose cases were identified. No other cases were reported after April 13. (Haddad, 4/19)
On settlement funds and fentanyl test trips —
NPR:
Opioid Settlement Billions Flow To States, As Advocates Worry About Oversight
Early in President Joe Biden's tenure, his administration promised to play a key role in ensuring opioid settlement funds went toward tackling the nation's addiction crisis. During the 2020 campaign, Biden had laid out a plan to appoint an "opioid crisis accountability coordinator" to support states in their lawsuits against companies accused of sparking the overdose epidemic. The following year, the White House convened a meeting about the soon-to-be finalized settlements, noted that the money could support drug policy priorities, and helped create a model law that states could adopt in anticipation of receiving funds. (Pattani, 4/20)
Philadelphia Inquirer:
Philly May Get More Federal Money To Address Opioid Crisis As Alarm Grows Over Xylazine, A Dangerous And Increasingly Common Drug Additive
Nationwide alarm over fentanyl laced with xylazine, an additive that can lead to festering wounds, amputations, and overdoses, could bring new federal funding for enforcement and treatment to Philadelphia. (Laughlin and Whelan, 4/19)
Axios:
Why More States Are Decriminalizing Fentanyl Test Strips
More red states are moving to decriminalize test strips used to detect fentanyl in illicit or counterfeit drugs as the substance becomes a leading killer of adults under 50. Why it matters: The paper strips can reduce fatal overdoses, especially in instances when people unknowingly consume fentanyl-laced pills that look like prescription drugs. (Moreno and Chen, 4/20)
Also —
WCAX:
Workers Say Opioid Crisis Driving Push To Unionize Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop
A push is underway to unionize the Ben and Jerry’s scoop shop on Church Street in downtown Burlington. The ice cream maker’s flagship shop is the first of the chain to form a union organizing committee. A union organizer said last summer employees found someone unconscious in the bathroom from a suspected overdose. Workers want fair compensation for dealing with the epidemic. “I think it would be nice to have better training for how to deal with situations that come up from the opioid epidemic and just the unhoused community around here. I think sometimes we are just thrown into stressful situations and expected to think on our feet and that can be a little scary,” said Josie Clark, a shift manager at Ben and Jerry’s. (4/17)
