Without Opioids For Back Pain, Patients Explore Dangerous Treatment Banned In Other Countries
Pfizer, faced with hundreds of complaints related to the injections of Depo-Medrol, asked the FDA to ban its treatment five years ago, citing risk of blindness, stroke, paralysis and death. The FDA declined to issue a ban. Also on the opioid epidemic, there's news on prescription drug monitoring and lawmakers' objections to the federal government's decision to withhold millions to fight the public health crisis.
The New York Times:
After Doctors Cut Their Opioids, Patients Turn To A Risky Treatment For Back Pain
An injectable drug that the manufacturer says is too dangerous to use along the spine is growing in popularity for back pain as doctors turn away from opioids. The anti-inflammatory drug, called Depo-Medrol and made by Pfizer, is approved for injection into muscles and joints. Once a drug is approved, however, doctors may legally prescribe it however they see fit. And doctors have long given Depo-Medrol shots, or the generic equivalent, close to the spinal cord for painful backs, necks and conditions like spinal stenosis. (Kaplan, 7/31)
St. Louis Post Dispatch:
Missouri Has Two Systems To Monitor Opioid Prescriptions. But It Still Has Gaps
The St. Louis County program consists of a database used by doctors and pharmacists to check a patient’s prescription history. Though it covers 80 percent of Missouri’s population, many rural — and often more vulnerable — counties do not participate. Prescription drug monitoring programs have been an important tactic used by states and municipalities across the U.S. to try to prevent doctor-shopping — the practice of visiting multiple providers to fill prescriptions for drugs intended for illegal sale or use. National public health agencies, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, say state monitoring programs play a vital role in fighting the opioid crisis. (Black, Lin and McGrath, 7/30)
Politico Pro:
Lawmakers Oppose CDC Refusal To Fund Major Cities’ Opioid Response
The nation’s five largest cities have been excluded from millions in federal funding to address the nation’s opioid crisis — and lawmakers from the affected areas say the Trump administration has no right to exclude the metropolitan areas. Forty-eight House members and seven senators representing the cities — Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, New York and Philadelphia — are objecting to the administration’s decision last month to withhold opioid funding to their local governments. (Haberkorn, 7/30)
