Pain
Feature
Opioid prescribing mapped: Alabama highest, New York lowest
The Medicare Part D opioid prescribing rate dropped in all 50 states from 2014 to 2019, but disparities remain.
FDA/CDC
FDA okays new oral CGRP antagonist for migraine prevention
With this approval, neurologists will be able to choose from four monoclonal antibodies and two gepants for the preventive treatment of migraine...
Feature
‘Alarming’ increase in fake pills laced with fentanyl, methamphetamine, DEA warns
More than 9.5 million fake pills have been seized so far this year – more than the last 2 years combined.
Guidelines
Guideline gives weak support to trying oral medical cannabis for chronic pain
Does oral medical cannabis work in chronic pain? Here’s what the evidence says.
Feature
As opioid deaths climb, human trials begin for vaccine
The first vaccine to enter a trial targets oxycodone.
From the Journals
Opioid overdoses tied to lasting cognitive impairment
One study in the review found that about 39% of people seeking buprenorphine treatment suffered from neurocognitive impairment.
Conference Coverage
Growing proportion of cardiac arrests in U.S. considered opioid related
Due to a steep rise, opioid-associated cardiac arrests have become a major public health issue.
From the Journals
‘Deeper dive’ into opioid overdose deaths during COVID pandemic
Results also showed that, compared to 2019, significantly more men died from overdoses in 2020 in Colorado and Indiana.
News from the FDA/CDC
EDs saw more benzodiazepine overdoses, but fewer patients overall, in 2020
Fentanyl became increasingly involved in benzodiazepine overdose deaths through the first half of the year.
From the Journals
Opioid prescribing laws having an impact
The number of days an opioid was prescribed for each Medicare beneficiary decreased by 11.6 days in 2018 in states that imposed duration limits....
Feature
Sen. Schumer backs federal decriminalization of marijuana
Passage of the bill is highly uncertain because of strong Republican opposition in the Senate, where Democrats hold a narrow majority.