Stop Oxy

New York Jury Finds Teva Liable For Opioid Epidemic

Post author:Melissa
Post published:December 30, 2021
Post category:fentanyl
Reading time:2 mins read

A jury in Suffolk County, New York, found Teva Pharmaceutical liable for their role in the opioid epidemic, alongside a long list of other companies involved in the trade. Teva makes powerful pain medications using the powerful opioid fentanyl.

In fact, between April 2020 and April 2021, overdose deaths from opioids totaled over 75,000, an increase of nearly 25,000. Most of those deaths involved fentanyl, a drug almost 50 times as potent as heroin.

What Teva Pharmaceutical Did

A Suffolk County jury decided that Teva played a role in what is legally termed a “public nuisance.” The nuisance, however, also involved over 500,00 deaths in the past twenty years.

Most of the charges related to the promotion and marketing of fentanyl, which is similar to what the makers of Oxycontin were convicted of in recent years.

Teva is known …

The Opioid Epidemic Impacts the Film and TV Industry

Post author:Mike H
Post published:December 27, 2021
Post category:opiate opiate addiction opioid
Reading time:5 mins read

The opioid epidemic’s human toll has now become well-known, and in 2021 it’s been more prominently shown on television than ever before.

OxyContin was a central theme in Hulu’s Dopesick Hulu’s Dopesick, as well as several other episodes, such as HBO’s Mare of Easttown, AMC’s Kevin Can F*** Himself, and Showtime’s Dexter: New Blood and American Rust, which dealt with opiate addiction.

With their widespread use, opiates appeared in everything from a suspenseful murder investigation to a darkly humorous parody of old-school comedies.

How the Opioid Crisis Has Been Portrayed

Kaitlyn Dever, who plays Betsy Mallum in the show Dopesick, said she was aware of the situation but didn’t know much about the circumstances. After suffering an accident on the job, her coal miner character develops an addiction to OxyContin. She added that she was …

Washington DC Sees Overdoses From New, Potent Opioids

Post author:Melissa
Post published:December 1, 2021
Post category:opiate addiction
Reading time:2 mins read

Opioids that are stronger than the deadly drug fentanyl are the cause of a spate of overdoses in Washington DC. The drugs, called protonitazene and isotonitazene, were found to be several times more potent than fentanyl. Fentanyl has been responsible for a series of overdose deaths in the past two years. Fentanyl is said to be over one hundred times as strong as morphine. For inexperienced users, exposure or use results in deadly overdoses.

These new drugs, called nitazenes, are passed off as other opioids, are even more potent, and likely cause an overdose.

Who Found These Nitazenes?

The District of Columbia has a lab that frequently monitors the contents of drugs anonymously.

“The DFS Public Health Lab discovered two nitazenes — synthetic opioids — in used syringes submitted to the lab as part of the District’s Needle …

Cherokee Nation Gets 75$ Million Of Opioid Settlement Money

Post author:Melissa
Post published:October 14, 2021
Post category:big pharma
Reading time:2 mins read

The Cherokee Nation has accepted a settlement of 75 million dollars from three of the nation’s largest drug distributors, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson. The money is a settlement from a lawsuit that accused the companies of shipping large quantities of highly addictive pain pills for over 20 years, propelling the opioid crisis and creating a public health emergency for communities across the country.

The settlement is the first of its kind to give money to Native American communities, whose populations, leaders say, are disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis.

The Settlement Money Will Go To Healing

“This settlement will enable us to increase our investments in mental health treatment facilities and other programs to help our people recover,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. told reporters.

The settlement will fund much-needed treatment and mental health services for …

Some Individuals Will Get Small Opioid Lawsuit Payouts

Post author:Melissa
Post published:September 30, 2021
Post category:big pharma
Reading time:3 mins read

Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of Oxycontin, recently settled lawsuits from the government for billions of dollars over their role in the opioid epidemic. The money was meant to cover both the human toll and the strain on society, including the medical community. Instead, the opioid epidemic touched every corner of America, and billions of dollars are being diverted to the cause of addiction prevention and treatment.

However, even as these payouts go out to governments, there are still incredible losses for the communities to bear. The most significant losses, of course, are the victims of overdoses and their families. For them, there will be just a small, token payout for their suffering.

Families Still Struggle With the Aftermath

As the financial details were being finalized for the most significant drug company settlements in history, families across the US gathered items …

Beware of “Alternative” Treatment Programs Like Enthusiastic Recovery

Post author:Melissa
Post published:August 27, 2021
Post category:addiction treatment
Reading time:3 mins read

Many programs and treatment centers bill themselves as a little less traditional than the standard 12-step model. Many of these programs are supervised by medical and addiction treatment professionals. Other groups, like Enthusiastic Sobriety and its subsidiaries, are run by people who were also once addicted.

Many of these people are in recovery, attend 12-step meetings and work on themselves. What sets Enthusiastic Sobriety apart from these programs is the lack of self-improvement as a goal.

What is Enthusiastic Sobriety?

Enthusiastic Sobriety is a program that first emerged in the 1970s and is run by Bob Meehan, an ex-con. For decades, parents have paid top dollar for his unconventional “drug treatment” program. For the most part, he helps teens get clean and sober off of substances. He does not, however, believe in helping them change their lifestyle or behavior. And …

Virginia Is Out Of Treatment Beds

Post author:Melissa
Post published:June 28, 2021
Post category:addiction treatment
Reading time:2 mins read

Like many parts of the country, Virginia has been battling an opioid epidemic over the past several years. During the pandemic, resources often dried up or closed down, leaving many vulnerable clients to relapse or desperately seeking shelter. Now that the pandemic’s emergency is winding down, the state still doesn’t have enough resources to help people get clean and sober.

Increasing Overdoses in Virginia, Nationwide

The pandemic brought a large number of overdoses as people began to turn to despair. In 2020, the Virginia Department of Health tallied 2,297 fatal drugs, a number that authorities say is more than all of the gun and car crash-related deaths reported in the same year.

While addiction is a pressing public health issue, there still aren’t enough services for people in the state. Inpatient beds are sorely lacking, while outpatient clinics are often …

Biden Reduces Barriers With New Opioid MAT Guidance

Post author:Melissa
Post published:May 11, 2021
Post category:addiction treatment
Reading time:2 mins read

Late last month, the Biden administration took action to significantly reduce barriers to one of the most effective opioid treatments, a Medication-Assisted Treatment known by the name Suboxone or buprenorphine. With the new guidelines, there will be significantly fewer requirements for medical professionals to help people with opioid addiction. The new policy will give more people access to safe and effective treatment to help them get sober. It will help people who live in rural areas without drug treatment centers, too.

Reduced MAT Training Requirement

Prior requirements for prescribing medication like Suboxone were stringent. A doctor had to take a 30-hour training course and become recertified every year. Doctors also had to ensure the patient went to treatment or therapy as a requirement for MAT. Some doctors felt like they were forced to be treatment counselors, a burden that made …

New Book Sheds Light on Sacklers, Scrupleless Oxycontin Makers

Post author:Melissa
Post published:April 27, 2021
Post category:pharmaceutical industry
Reading time:2 mins read

A new book lifts back the veil on the history of the Sackler family, the people who owned and invested heavily in the marketing and manufacturing of Oxycontin. “Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty” goes into the history of the family, the source of their wealth, and their downfall as they settled lawsuits that drove the out of business.

OxyContin, the addictive painkiller known to be more powerful than morphine, is considered to be a driving force of the opioid crisis. In fact, Purdue Pharma recently settled with the government after facing hundreds of lawsuits over their practices. Doctors were said to be bribed, marketed to heavily, and even had salespeople downplay the possibilities of side effects, withdrawal, or addiction.

About the Sacklers: Oxycontin Millionaires

The Sackler family is one of the richest in America, and …

Kratom Imports Will Be Detained By FDA

Post author:Melissa
Post published:March 31, 2021
Post category:fda
Reading time:2 mins read

The FDA recently re-issued an alert that agents, effective immediately, will detain any imports or supplements that contain kratom. The alert says that the “FDA has seen an increase in the number of shipments of dietary supplements and bulk dietary ingredients that are, or contain kratom…”, also known as Mitragyna speciosa and a variety of other names depending on the region.

What is Kratom?

Kratom was once used as a folk medicine to help people in Southeast Asia recover from opioid addiction and a variety of other remedies. Now, people have been using it in the US for years for that exact purpose and more. Depending on who you ask, people say it has helped them with chronic pain, inflammatory conditions, and mental health issues.

The FDA, however, has not approved the supplement for any use, and there is no …