Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Experts: Opioid Use Disorder Sufferers Dehumanized By Health Workers
Politico: Docs Don't Want To Treat 'Them'
According to Thomas Prevoznik, deputy assistant administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration. ... “The biggest thing I heard and continue to hear from prescribers and pharmacists … is they continue to call those who suffer from opioid use disorder ‘them,’ like they don’t want ‘them,’ they don’t want to treat ‘them’ in their practice,” Prevoznik said. That attitude was an eye-opener for the DEA, he said, noting that people with opioid use disorder are “our family members, our neighbors, our friends. … They’re dying. This has to become part of mainstream health care,” he said. (Paun, Reader and Schumaker, 4/2)
Politico: NIDA Director Nora Volkow: We Will Overcome The Overdose Crisis
Dr. Nora Volkow, who has led the National Institute on Drug Abuse for more than two decades, said she is convinced America will overcome the ongoing drug overdose death crisis that killed nearly 110,000 people last year. “We are much better than fentanyl, we are much, much better than the drug dealers,” she told participants at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit Tuesday. (Paun, 4/2)
In other news —
Newsweek: Demand For Weight-Loss Drugs Spikes Despite Horror Stories
Since weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro first hit the market, patients have shared horror story symptoms and even complained of how the pounds pile back on when they stop taking the medication. Nausea, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain and other gastrointestinal issues are just some of the common side effects listed. However, even if you make it through these, some patients say the weight loss goes into reverse once you're off the drug again. (Blake, 4/2)
North Carolina Health News: Where Is $835 Million Mental Health Being Spent?
The first few years of the Formerly Incarcerated Transitions (FIT) Wellness program were limited to helping people in Wake County with mental illness who had recently been released from state prison. Evan Ashkin, a family physician from UNC Health who helped found the program in 2017, said that FIT Wellness was able to serve 45 to 50 people a year in this “very vulnerable population.” That meant helping them get connected to psychiatric services, housing and employment — in short, services that would enable them to succeed. (Hoban, 4/3)
Fortune Well: CT Colonography: What To Know About Virtual Colonoscopy Mark Cuban Says Saves Time, Money
If you’re between the ages of 45 and 85, you should have a colorectal cancer screening routine in place, per the American Cancer Society (ACS). But a colonoscopy isn’t the only option to take charge of your gastrointestinal health. You can choose from noninvasive screening methods: computed tomography (CT) colonography and/or a stool-based test. ... In short, it’s an X-ray exam that doesn’t require sedation or anesthesia. (Leake, 4/3)
AP: AP Exclusive: EPA Didn't Declare A Public Health Emergency After Fiery Ohio Derailment
The aftermath of last year’s fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio doesn’t qualify as a public health emergency because widespread health problems and ongoing chemical exposures haven’t been documented, federal officials said. The Environmental Protection Agency never approved that designation after the February 2023 Norfolk Southern derailment even though the disaster forced the evacuation of half the town of East Palestine and generated many fears about potential long-term health consequences of the chemicals that spilled and burned. (Funk, 4/3)
