Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Some Patients Cheat On Drug Tests, Doctors May Be Missing It
Bloomberg: Spiked Drug Tests Undermining Opioid Treatment Efforts
Some patients addicted to opioids may be spiking their drug tests to mimic adherence to their treatment plans, undermining attempts to address an epidemic that looms larger than ever. About 8% of opioid patients could be spiking their urine samples with buprenorphine, a drug used to treat pain and opioid addiction, according to a JAMA Psychiatry study published Wednesday. Adding buprenorphine tablets or residue directly into urine can create the impression that patients have taken their medication when they haven’t. (Meghjani and Peng, 3/22)
AP: Doctors May Miss How Addiction Patients Cheat Drug Tests
Doctors often use urine tests to make sure patients taking medication for opioid addiction are sticking with treatment. A new study suggests they may be missing some cheaters. Nearly 8% of these patients sometimes spike their urine by adding their treatment medicine, buprenorphine, to the samples. Such spiking may go unnoticed by doctors who use rapid tests instead of more sophisticated lab tests that can reveal who’s cheating. (Johnson, 3/22)
More on the opioid crisis —
The Washington Post: Homeland Security Launches “Operation Blue Lotus” To Target Fentanyl
The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday it has intensified efforts to stop fentanyl trafficking across the country’s southern border, launching “Operation Blue Lotus” with hundreds of U.S. agents and officers. The campaign will use new scanning technology, more drug-sniffing dogs and other detection tools to ramp up interdiction efforts and build criminal cases, officials said. Much of the effort will focus on ports of entry, the land border crossings where more than 90 percent of U.S. fentanyl seizures along the southern border have occurred since the start of the 2023 fiscal year on Oct. 1. (Miroff, 3/21)
The Texas Tribune: Bills Call For Texas Teachers To Administer Lifesaving Overdose Drugs To Students
As illegal opioid use rises among young people, several bills filed by state lawmakers would require Texas teachers to be trained and equipped to treat fentanyl overdoses, both on campus and at school-related events. Several bills call for educators and school staff at public, charter and private schools, as well as those at colleges and universities, to know how to reverse deadly opioid overdoses with Narcan and other overdose medications known as “opioid antagonists.” (Simpson, 3/23)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Metro Atlanta Governments Call Drug Makers, Pharmacies A `Public Nuisance’ In New Opioid Lawsuit
The city of Atlanta and six metro area counties this week filed a federal lawsuit against more than two dozen drug makers, pharmacies and prescription drug brokers, alleging that their role in the opioid crisis represents a public nuisance. The lawsuit is just the latest of dozens that have been filed by Georgia cities and counties seeking to recover damages from the pharmaceutical industry for its role in spreading the addictive and potent painkillers. (Eason, 3/23)
CNN: What Makes Fentanyl So Deadly And How Can People Prevent Overdoses?
The United States is facing a crisis of overdose deaths. In 2021, more than 106,000 Americans lost their lives to drug-involved overdoses — including more than 1,100 teens that year alone. Synthetic opioids, primarily involving the powerful drug fentanyl, are the main driver of overdose deaths, with nearly a 7.5-fold increase overall from 2015 to 2021, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overdoses and poisoning are the third leading cause of death in kids and adolescents age 19 and younger. (Hetter, 3/23)
Dallas Morning News: How Fentanyl Journeys From China To Mexico To North Texas
It begins as a white powder in Chinese chemical factories. A mix of illegal drugs and chemical compounds, the powder, sometimes disguised as soap, journeys across oceans in massive container ships bound for Mexico’s western ports. From there, Mexican drug cartel workers press the fentanyl powder into small pills with blue coloring and stamp them. The pills are hidden inside secret compartments within trucks, trailers and other vehicles that couriers drive across the U.S.-Mexico border headed toward markets in Dallas and beyond. (Krause and Corchado, 3/23)
In other news about drug use —
AP: Oregon Issues First License Under Psilocybin Program
Oregon has issued its first license under its new system that offers controlled use of psilocybin to the public. The Oregon Health Authority announced Wednesday that it had issued a manufacturer license to Satori Farms PDX LLC, owned by Tori Armbrust. Oregon Psilocybin Services, which falls under the health authority, began accepting applications for four license types in January. More than 220 license and worker permit applications have been submitted to Oregon Psilocybin Services so far. (3/23)
