Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Misconceptions About Methadone Undermine Opioid Treatment Efforts
Stateline: In Opioid Epidemic, Prejudice Persists Against Methadone
Despite the nation’s decadelong surge in opioid addiction, large swaths of the U.S. still lack specialized opioid treatment centers that can dispense methadone, one of three medications available to treat addiction to heroin and prescription pain pills. The other two medications, buprenorphine (approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2002) and Vivitrol (approved in 2010), can be prescribed by doctors. But for some patients, particularly those who have built up a high tolerance for opioids through prolonged use or high doses, methadone can be the only addiction medication that works. (Vestal, 11/10)
In other news on the opioid epidemic —
Stat: 'Pink,' Synthetic Opioid Linked To Nearly 50 Deaths, To Be Banned
The Drug Enforcement Administration is poised to ban a little-known drug called U-47700, also known colloquially as “pink.” The agency, which has the power to ban drugs for two or three years “to avoid an imminent hazard to the public safety,” said Thursday the new regulation will take effect Monday. The DEA has cited 46 deaths in the United States over the last two years in which U-47700 is a confirmed cause. That doesn’t include the widely reported deaths of two 13-year-olds in Utah, which were purportedly linked to the drug. (Boodman, 11/10)
Bloomberg: Saving Heroin Users With A Nasal Spray Is An $80 Million Business
In recent years, as drug overdoses have overtaken car accidents as the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., sales of naloxone products have soared, from $21.3 million in 2011 to $81.9 million in 2015, according to QuintilesIMS. Within this market, Adapt Pharma’s Narcan nasal spray is the fastest-growing product. Part of its appeal is that, in theory, anybody can use it to save a life. You don’t need to be a doctor or have any medical training. (Gillette, 11/11)
