To overcome the disconnect between clinicians prescribing opioids and patients dying from opioid overdoses, researchers at Los Angeles-based University of Southern California aim to make the opioid epidemic more personal for physicians, according to a study published Aug. 10 in Science.  By Harrison Cook - 8/10/18

In a recent blog post, The Greeley Company discusses pain points for hospitals and physician practices within the context of the opioid epidemic.   By Staff - 8/10/18

Young adults between ages 13 and 30 who fill an opioid prescription before or after having their wisdom teeth are 2.7 times more likely to demonstrate continued opioid use, according to a study published in JAMA.  By Harrison Cook - 8/9/18

A study published in JAMA examined the frequency of opioid overdoses after discharge from surgery.  By Anuja Vaidya - 8/8/18

Federal public health officials are joining Lawrence and Lowell, Mass., health officials with their investigation of a large increase in reported HIV cases, according to NECN.  By Harrison Cook - 8/8/18

The FDA on August 6 shared a new draft guidance to promote the creation and more widespread use of medication-assisted therapies to treat opioid use disorder, according to STAT.  By Harrison Cook - 8/7/18

The FDA shot down Pain Therapeutics' abuse-deterrent opioid, Remoxy, for the fourth time, causing the company's shares to decrease by more than 35 percent, according to Reuters.  By Harrison Cook - 8/6/18

Physicians have frequently prescribed a class of fentanyl drugs intended for cancer patients with high opioid tolerance to patients with back pain and migraines, which puts a new population of patients at risk for accidental opioid-related overdose and death, according to FDA records cited by The New York Times.  By Harrison Cook - 8/6/18

Opioid-related deaths and incarcerations are affecting children across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at soaring rates, according to the 2017 Child Well-Being Survey published August 3.  By Harrison Cook - 8/6/18

A study, published in The BMJ, examined trends in the rate and daily dose of opioids used among commercial and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries over a nine-year period.  By Anuja Vaidya - 8/3/18

Calls to U.S. poison control centers involving tianeptine, an antidepressant used in Europe, Asia and Latin America, have climbed since 2015, according to the CDC's most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published August 3.  By Harrison Cook - 8/3/18

An injectable drug that Pfizer, its maker, claims is too dangerous to use along the spine is becoming more popular for patients with back pain as physicians turn away from prescribing opioids, The New York Times reports.   By Megan Knowles - 7/31/18

A quick search for “opioid-use disorder” (OUD) brings up thousands of news articles from all over the country. It’s a high-profile problem—one that almost everyone is aware of, from senior public health officials in the federal government to the layperson in small town America.  By L. Gail Curtis, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA, Stephanie McGilvray, MMSc, PA-C, and Lisa Mustone Alexander, EdD, MPH, PA-C - 7/31/18

Here are 10 stories from Becker's Hospital Review on opioids by state, beginning with the most recent.  By Harrison Cook - 7/30/18

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association released a report July 12 analyzing opioid use disorder diagnosis in relation to prescription rates and opioid usage among BCBS members, where Iowa ranked the fourth-lowest nationwide, according to The Gazette.  By Harrison Cook - 7/30/18

Cleveland-based Judge Dan Polster, overseer of about 800 opioid-related lawsuits in federal court, ruled July 26 that opioid distribution data cannot be made public, according to Las Vegas Now.  By Harrison Cook - 7/30/18

In Hunterville, Ala., the opioid epidemic has decreased life expectancy by two years, leading community organizers and health professionals to demand more comprehensive addiction treatment, according to WZDX News.  By Harrison Cook - 7/27/18

Limiting the number of opioids prescribed for one procedure can affect the number of pills prescribed for other procedures, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.  By Anuja Vaidya - 7/27/18

Between July 9-15, Snohomish County in Washington reported 57 opioid overdoses, two of which were fatal, according to K5 News.  By Harrison Cook - 7/26/18

Patients who use opioids before an elective joint replacement surgery may have an increased risk of repeat surgery or hospitalization, according to a new published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.  By Harrison Cook - 7/26/18