All Opioid Pain Meds to Get New Safety Warnings, FDA Says
The FDA is making several updates to prescribing information for opioid pain medications to provide guidance on safe use, according to a Drug Safety Communication, including a new warning that they can increase sensitivity to pain. Changes to the prescribing information and labeling for immediate-release (IR) and extended-release or long-acting (EX/LA) opioids will be made […]
More Antipsychotics Given for Dementia During Pandemic
Antipsychotic drug prescribing rates among people with dementia increased markedly during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, a multinational database study showed. Notably, those rates did not return to prepandemic levels after the acute phase of the pandemic had ended, Kenneth K.C. Man, PhD, of University College London School of Pharmacy, and colleagues reported […]
Clinical Decision Tool Cuts Inappropriate BMA Therapy in Prostate Cancer
SAN DIEGO — An algorithm-based decision tool eliminated inappropriate prescribing of bone-modifying agents (BMA) in patients with advanced prostate cancer, according to a VA-based study. Prior to implementing the tool, inappropriate BMA prescribing was found in more than 50% of cases of men with metastatic sensitive-resistant prostate cancer (mCSPC) without bone metastases at the George […]
High Court Sides With Docs Accused of ‘Pill Mill’ Operations
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday ruled unanimously in support of two doctors convicted of prescribing opioids without a “legitimate” medical purpose, arguing that there should be a higher standard of proof in prosecuting such cases. A provision of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) declares it a federal crime for a person to knowingly […]
Bump in Non-Opioid Pain Prescriptions Following CDC’s 2016 Guidelines
Non-opioid pain medication prescribing increased after the CDC published guidelines on opioids for chronic pain in 2016, according to a cohort study using insurance claims data. Among over 15 million individuals, logistic regression models showed that the odds of non-opioid pain prescriptions were higher following the release of the “Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic […]
Removing barriers to opioid use disorder treatment shows success during pandemic
Pandemic-era changes to prescribing guidelines for the lifesaving drug buprenorphine led to improved treatment outcomes for patients with opioid use disorder in Philadelphia, according to a recently published study in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports from researchers at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health. The authors analyzed data from medical records and […]
Being in nature: Good for mind, body and nutrition
In late 2020, Canadian doctors made headlines for “prescribing nature,” or recommended time outdoors based on research that suggests people who spent two or more hours in nature per week improved their health and wellbeing. Knowing this, transdisciplinary researchers from Drexel University investigated how nature relatedness — simply feeling connected with the natural world — […]