Study Links Drug Maker Gifts for Doctors to More Overdose Deaths
WASHINGTON — A new study offers some of the strongest evidence yet of the connection between the marketing of opioids to doctors and the nation’s addiction epidemic. It found that counties where opioid manufacturers offered a large number of gifts and payments to doctors had more overdose deaths involving the drugs than counties where direct-to-physician marketing was less aggressive. The study, published Friday in JAMA Network Open, said the industry spent about $40 million promoting opioid medications to nearly 68,000 doctors from 2013 through 2015, including by paying for meals, trips and consulting fees. And it found that for every three [...]
US customs announces largest fentanyl seizure in its history
(CNN) -- US Customs and Border Protection made the largest seizure of fentanyl in the agency's history on Saturday at the Nogales port of entry on the US-Mexico border, Port Director Michael Humphries announced Thursday. Officers uncovered 100 packages of fentanyl weighing nearly 254 pounds and with an estimated value of $3.5 million, Humphries said. The fentanyl was mostly in powder form, with some in pill form. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid. Unlike morphine or heroin, which are derived from the opium poppy, synthetics such as oxycodone and the extremely potent fentanyl are manufactured purely from chemicals. Nearly 650 pounds [...]
Cocaine overtakes heroin as No. 1 cause of fentanyl overdose deaths in Ohio
Cocaine is now Ohio’s most dangerous drug. It killed more people than heroin because powder cocaine and crack cocaine in Ohio are now broadly contaminated with fentanyl and its chemical relatives, such as carfentanil and norfentanyl. An analysis of autopsy results shows that fentanyl has now spread throughout Ohio’s illegal drug supply, except for marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms. The breadth of fentanyl’s use in the illegal drug supply will push Ohio’s overdose death toll near a record 5,000 in 2017, up from 4,050 in 2016 and 3,050 in 2015. The exact death toll for 2017 won’t be known until later [...]
Fentanyl now America’s deadliest drug, federal health officials say
Fentanyl is now the deadliest drug in America, federal health officials announced Wednesday, with more than 18,000 overdose deaths in 2016, the most recent year for which statistics are available. It's the first time the synthetic opioid has been the nation's deadliest drug. From 2012 to 2015, heroin topped the list. On average, in each year from 2013 to 2016, the rate of overdose deaths from Fentanyl increased by about 113 percent a year. The report said fentanyl was responsible for 29 percent of all overdose deaths in 2016, up from just 4 percent in 2011. Overall, more than 63,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2016, [...]
‘I killed my best friend’: Opioids’ fatal grip on mayor, pal
MOUNT CARBON, Pa. (AP) — In a story Dec. 9 about the fatal overdose of a young mayor and his friend, The Associated Press erroneously reported the number of drug overdose deaths in 2017. It was about 70,200, not more than 72,000, which represented an earlier government estimate. A corrected version of the story is below: 'I killed my best friend': Opioids' fatal grip on mayor, pal A young Pennsylvania mayor's secret attraction to opioids cost him his life By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press MOUNT CARBON, Pa. (AP) — Janel Firestone found her son — the 24-year-old, just resigned mayor [...]
Medical Examiner Issues Warning Regarding Fake Oxycodone Pills: Fentanyl Disguised as Fake Oxycodone
CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Gilson, today issued a public health warning today, indicating that the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office has detected fentanyl in pills that have been disguised to appear as Oxycodone (30mg tablets). This is an immediate threat to public health safety, causing a heightened concern for potentially fatal overdoses. Oxycodone is a powerful opioid used to treat severe pain. Common brand names for Oxycodone include: OxyContin, Roxicodone, and Percocet (Oxycodone and Acetaminophen). As a reminder, there is no regulation or quality control with illicit drugs. Therefore, anyone taking a street drug cannot know [...]