Experts Voice Concern Over FDA Approval of New Hydrocodone Drug

By Join Together Staff | November 4, 2013 | 1 Comment | Filed in Addiction,Government & Prescription Drugs

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the first pure hydrocodone drug in the United States concerns law enforcement agencies and addiction experts, who predict overdose deaths will increase, Newsday reports.


The drug, Zohydro ER (extended release), was approved for patients with pain that requires daily, around-the-clock, long-term treatment that cannot be treated with other drugs. Drugs such as Vicodin contain a combination of hydrocodone and other painkillers such as acetaminophen. Zohydro is expected to reach the market in early 2014.


In December 2012, a panel of experts assembled by the FDA voted against recommending approval of Zohydro ER. The panel cited concerns over the potential for addiction. In the 11-2 vote against approval, the panel said that while the drug’s maker, Zogenix, had met narrow targets for safety and efficacy, the painkiller could be used by people addicted to other opioids, including oxycodone.


Zohydro is potentially 10 times stronger when abused than hydrocodone combination products, according to the article. Zohydro is designed to be released over time, and can be crushed and snorted by people seeking a strong, quick high. The opioid drug OxyContin has been reformulated to make it harder to crush or dissolve, but Zohydro does not include similar tamper-resistant features, the newspaper notes.


Zogenix has started the development of an abuse deterrent formulation of Zohydro , according to a company statement.


“That the FDA has approved another incredibly powerful painkiller without [tamper-proof features] is both disconcerting and dangerous,” said Jeffrey Reynolds, Executive Director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, who told the FDA expert panel he opposed Zohydro’s approval without safety features. “While this drug might be a godsend for people with acute pain, it’s a potential nightmare for those struggling with or at risk for addiction.”

POWER IN THE PROVERB

November 5 v21 v22 v23 POWER IN THE PROVERB
 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.

 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.

 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Study: 10% of Teens Treated in the ER Admit to Misusing Prescription Drugs

By Join Together Staff | October 31, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed inHealthcare, Prescription Drugs, Young Adults & Youth





Ten percent of 14- to 20-year-olds treated in the emergency room for any reason say they have misused prescription drugs at least once in the last year, a new study finds. The researchers at the University of Michigan found most of the teens who admitted to misusing prescription drugs used other people’s medications.


Teens who misused prescription drugs were significantly more likely to also have abused alcohol and non-prescription drugs such as cough medicine, or to have used marijuana, in the past year, the study found. They were also more likely to have ridden with a drinking driver.


The findings appear in the journal Pediatrics.


The researchers say this is the first time prescription drug abuse in teens has been studied in an emergency department setting, even though opioid painkillers and sedatives are often prescribed by emergency department doctors, PsychCentral reports.


While school-based studies have found rates of prescription drug misuse among young people to be around 8 percent, these studies do not include teens who have dropped out of school or did not continue their education past high school, the article notes.


Study author Lauren Whiteside, M.D., said the findings suggest that emergency departments could be an effective place to screen teens and young adults for prescription drug misuse, and for intervening early before problems begin. “These patients are often using the emergency department for their medical care, not primary care settings,” she noted in a news release. “So, in order to curb this problem and address overdose and addiction, the ED is a good place to start.”

POWER IN THE PROVERB

November 4 18 v19 POWER IN THE PROVERB
 But the path of the just is like the shining sun,
That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
 The way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know what makes them stumble.

POWER IN THE PROVERB

November 3 v 30 POWER IN THE PROVERB                                              
  Do not strive with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm. My advice mind your own buisness and lead a quite life.

POWER IN THE PROVERB

November 2v21v22 POWER IN THE PROVERB
For the upright shall dwell in the land,and the men of integrity,blameless and complete (in  God's sight) shall remain in it.But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth,and the treacherous shall be rooted out of it.