Read more about the article Opioid Lawsuits Are Bankrupting Rite-Aid

Opioid Lawsuits Are Bankrupting Rite-Aid

While there have been many stories about rampant crime in major cities, the fact is that these same cities also have a lot of opioid addiction. In recent years, states, counties, and cities have been suing distributors of opioids like Oxycontin. While many companies, such as the drug maker Purdue Pharma, have settled, some distributors and pharmacies have had issues. Rite-Aid is one of these pharmacies that chose not to participate in a bulk settlement. Because of this, they face more than a thousand lawsuits for their sales of Oxycontin and other addictive pain pills.

Rite-Aid in Danger of Closing

Rite-Aid is one of the largest chains of pharmacies in the United States, but they now face billions of dollars in death and risk closure due to outstanding opioid lawsuits. Not settling, as other pharmacies have done, including Walgreens, …

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Read more about the article Scientists Find Possible New Way to Reverse Fentanyl Overdoses

Scientists Find Possible New Way to Reverse Fentanyl Overdoses

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  • Post category:fentanyl
  • Reading time:4 mins read

Fentanyl overdoses are at an all-time high, and often, there is trouble reviving a person who has overdosed on higher doses of the drug. After all, fentanyl is one of the most potent drugs known to man.

Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid, estimated to be 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and about 50 times more potent than heroin. This potency means that a small amount of fentanyl can produce intense and immediate euphoria, making it highly attractive to those seeking a powerful high.

For some people, that high means an overdose. And if a user takes higher doses of the drug, multiple cans of Narcan, the overdose-reversal drug, may not even be enough.

Fentanyl kills over 100,000 Americans yearly, and people often don’t even realize they have taken the drug.

Fentanyl is Highly Addictive

Fentanyl acts …

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Read more about the article Narcan Goes OTC Nationwide Next Week

Narcan Goes OTC Nationwide Next Week

Narcan, also known by its generic name naloxone, is a medication used to reverse the effects of opioid overdose rapidly. This is a crucial tool in addressing the opioid crisis and has proven to be a lifesaving intervention in many cases. After much advocacy, the federal government is allowing naloxone to be sold over-the-counter, without a prescription, starting next week.

The Importance of Narcan

Narcan has been a vital tool in saving lives since the 1970s. Now, it can be carried and used by anyone who comes across an overdose situation, making it more likely they get care and medical help.

  • Rapid Overdose Rescue: Narcan binds to the same receptors in the brain that opioids attach to. By doing this, it effectively displaces opioids and reverses their effects. This can quickly restore normal breathing and consciousness in someone experiencing
…
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Read more about the article Fentanyl Overdose May Be Stopped with Monoclonal Antibody Treatment

Fentanyl Overdose May Be Stopped with Monoclonal Antibody Treatment

A fentanyl overdose may be reversed with the help of Narcan, but sometimes the drug is too powerful to respond. Now a company has gotten a green light for a project that explores the use of monoclonal antibodies in helping reverse a fentanyl overdose.

As a street drug, fentanyl can have different potency levels each time a user tries it. And often, the user doesn’t know where it is in the drug. Instead, they expected to get high on cocaine, meth, heroin, or Oxy. It can be 50-100 times as potent as morphine, so a person who doesn’t use opioids is highly susceptible to an overdose.

What Is a Monoclonal Antibody Treatment?

One of the most well-known applications of monoclonal antibody therapy is in treating certain cancers, such as breast cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, monoclonal antibodies …

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Read more about the article Oxycontin Billionaire Sackler Family Shielded From Lawsuits

Oxycontin Billionaire Sackler Family Shielded From Lawsuits

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  • Reading time:3 mins read

As part of a six billion dollar opioid settlement by the makers of Oxycontin, the Sackler family will be shielded from lawsuits. Rather than being held personally responsible for the effects of the opioid epidemic, instead, the company Purdue Pharma will pay billions of dollars over time.

What Is The Sackler Settlement For?

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York affirmed the plan last Tuesday. Under this new agreement, members of the Sackler family give up ownership of Purdue Pharma. Purdue will now be called Knoa. The drugmaker’s profits are being sent to a fund to prevent and treat addiction.

In addition to giving up Purdue, members of the Sackler family will give  $5.5 billion to $6 billion in cash over time to make up for the effects of the opioid epidemic. Over time, they’re expected to …

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Read more about the article San Francisco Reaches $260 Opioid Million Settlement with Walgreens

San Francisco Reaches $260 Opioid Million Settlement with Walgreens

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  • Post category:big pharma
  • Reading time:2 mins read

On Wednesday, San Francisco announced that it had reached a $230 million settlement with Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc regarding its involvement in the city’s opioid epidemic by allowing overprescription of Oxycontin to go unexamined or unstopped. The agreement will help pay expenses related to treatment, prevention, harm reduction, and recovery for individuals in the city.

The Walgreens/San Francisco Opioid Lawsuit

This agreement comes after a nine-month wait. It’s been almost nine months since US District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco decided the drugstore chain could be held accountable for significantly contributing to an opioid crisis that resulted in widespread harm in the city, thereby creating a public nuisance.

Judge Breyer criticized Walgreens for failing over 15 years to adequately monitor opioid prescriptions and identify potential misuse of these highly addictive drugs. Because of this, pill mills were able to …

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Read more about the article 12 Students in Philly Drink Juice Spiked With ‘Wonk’

12 Students in Philly Drink Juice Spiked With ‘Wonk’

Twelve high school students drank grape juice spiked with a sedative or opioid last Wednesday at Crossroads Accelerated Academy on the 4300 block of Westminster Avenue. School officials say this is something they’ve never had to deal with before and expressed shock at the fact that so many teens would willingly consume a drug on school grounds.

Five minors were hospitalized, ranging in age from twelve to sixteen. Police locked the school down and brought the counterterrorism unit to aid the investigation.

What Is Wonk?

It’s not clear what wonk is made from. Tests are still being done on the substance. School and police officials say “wonk” is a new street opioid. However, they haven’t yet finished running tests on the substance.

Ketamine, an animal tranquilizer, is often sold as “wonk” on the street and in clubs. Ketamine is …

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Read more about the article Chronic Pain May Make Opioid Use Disorder Worse

Chronic Pain May Make Opioid Use Disorder Worse

Researchers following the data for people with fibromyalgia and opioid use disorder found that people with chronic pain may have more challenges when staying sober.

Chronic Pain and Opioid Exposure

Many people first use opioids to treat pain. Physical pain can significantly contribute to the development of opioid use disorder. Opioids are commonly prescribed to manage chronic pain; over time, people may develop a tolerance to the medication. They may require higher doses to achieve the same pain relief. As a result, individuals may become physically dependent on opioids, which can lead to opioid use disorder.

Most people’s first exposure to opioids is through an illness or injury where a doctor prescribes drugs like Percocet or Oxycontin.

Chronic Illness and Opioid Misuse

Chronic pain can increase the risk of addiction, overdose, and other adverse effects.

There is also a chance …

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Read more about the article Teens In Denmark Increasingly Hooked On Opioids

Teens In Denmark Increasingly Hooked On Opioids

America is not the only country fighting a battle against opioid addiction. In Denmark, a disturbing new trend of adolescents as young as 12 experimenting with pills. Teens as young as 15 have sought treatment for being hooked on drugs like Tramadol, Oxycontin, and other opioids.

Experts say the problem is worse than that.

Trend Of Teens Using Opioids Recreationally Is a Wake-Up Call

“This is serious,” said Christina Ekmann, a Danish addiction treatment specialist, who told Euronews about the increased enrollment at her youth addiction center in the town of Greve. Six out of twenty current clients have opioid use disorders. All of them said that tramadol was their drug of choice. “Let’s say they have four friends, then suddenly we’re up to 20-30 young people taking them. And that’s just the ones we know about,” Ekmann told …

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Read more about the article Harm Reduction for Fentanyl Is Now Everyday Life

Harm Reduction for Fentanyl Is Now Everyday Life

People who use drugs have started dying from accidental drug overdoses. For many of them, they believed they were taking Molly, Oxycontin, or another pill bought from an online drug dealer. Sadly, just one pill has led to many overdose deaths. People have begun to gather in person; overdoses seem to have accelerated. Many concerned parents and community members now carry Narcan to help reverse an overdose in progress. And now, in New York, determined drug users test their drugs to see if they’re tainted with fentanyl.

Fentanyl Is In Almost Every Street Drug

The pandemic has hung over an increasingly unsettled population for the past three years. The pandemic brought about economic issues and inflation. Some people lost members of their families. News stories are still permeated about how COVID has reshaped us. This includes how people buy …

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