They are some of the strongest painkillers available and were developed for use in only the most extreme of circumstances, yet opioids are prescribed at an alarming rate in the United States. Their use – and misuse – represents a major and growing safety concern and has led many medical professionals to refer to the situation surrounding opioids as an “epidemic” of abuse. The use of such ...
Insys Therapeutics Allegedly Used Illegal Sales Tactics for Its Name-brand Fentanyl
Posted May 11, 2017 in Product News and Recalls
As Over-Prescription Concerns Grow, Doctors Explore Opioid Alternatives
Posted August 1, 2016 in Product News and Recalls
In many cases, when a patient comes into the emergency room with acute, severe pain, a doctor’s first instinct is to reach for an opioid pain reliever. Powerful and fast acting, they are widely regarded as an instant pain management win.
Unfortunately, they are also highly addictive. And, as the number of people killed by prescription painkiller overdoses every year inches closer to 20,000, doctors are finally ...
continue reading...West Virginia Attorney General Sues Over Prescription Drug Orders
Posted June 9, 2016 in Drug and Medical Device Lawsuits | Product News and Recalls
The numbers just didn’t add up. For a state with 1.85 million residents, the number of prescription painkillers coming into West Virginia pharmacies was ridiculously high. It wasn’t “maybe a few extra boxes got shipped that shouldn’t have been shipped” high. Rather, it was “there might actually be something criminal going on here” high.
Between 2007 and 2012, McKesson – the largest prescription drug distributor in the United States ...
continue reading...Prescription Opioids to Receive Enhanced Warnings
Posted April 5, 2016 in Product News and Recalls
A recent piece of news posted to Time’s website sings the praises of recent FDA action to impose stronger labels on incredibly powerful narcotic painkillers like OxyContin. The technical name for these drugs is opioids and they have dominated medical news in recent months.
Most medical professionals in the United States will not hesitate to call the state of prescription opioid abuse in this country an ...
continue reading...West Virginia Senator Questions Independence of FDA
Posted August 31, 2015 in Product News and Recalls
A growing body of evidence seems to suggest that the FDA; the regulatory agency in charge of ensuring that the foods and drugs we ingest will not harm us, may not be as independent as the public may assume them to be.
One of the largest and most publicly visible hits to the agency’s credibility occurred earlier this year when the FDA issued a draft guidance which cleared the way for drug ...
continue reading...Congress to Look Into Veterans Affairs Whistleblower Reports
Posted April 14, 2015 in Product News and Recalls
A Congressional field hearing is scheduled to take place on March 30 to look into whistleblower claims of prescription drug abuse at a Veterans Affairs medical center in Tomah, WI. The whistleblower report, which was at first hidden by the VA Inspector General, reveals a high rate of prescriptions for high-dose opiates like morphine. Several deaths are also under investigation at the medical center.
A clinical review ...
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