opioids
World news wrapup: 23 May 2019
Opioid volume drops in the US; first US state gets online naloxone; England gets first click-and-collect meds lockers in supermarkets US: The United States saw a 17% fall in prescription …
Doc diverted leftover fentanyl to take the ‘edge off’ anxiety
A doctor who self-injected fentanyl in a hospital bathroom has been reprimanded and fined $5,000 The doctor was facing three allegations: that he misappropriated fentanyl from his employer by diverting …
World news wrapup: 16 May 2019
Pharmacists shouldn’t be “prescription police;” confusion reigns in Arkansas; too much red tape in Ireland UK: Pharmacists should not be the “prescription police,” the chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society …
Inadvertent harms
The SHPA and Pharmacy Guild are among stakeholder groups which have endorsed Palliative Care Australia’s new position statement on access to opioids Palliative Care Australia released the position statement, Sustainable …
Preventing dependence
Amcal and ScriptWise have teamed up to educate the public about opioid and benzodiazepine medications May is Medication Dependence Prevention Month, an awareness campaign undertaken by the non-profit ScriptWise. Along …
Data shows ‘pharmacy lobby’ were wrong: AMA
The AMA says that recent TGA data has “vindicated” the decision to upschedule low-dose codeine Several days ago, the TGA issued a report which analysed pharmaceutical industry sales data and …
Surgery leading to opioid risk
More than 13,000 Australians each year may be at risk of developing a persistent opioid habit following elective surgery, according to a BMJ study New research has quantified the number …
Prevalent dark web drug a ‘biohazard’
Researchers say a new report “lifts the lid” on a significant new synthetic opioid market on the dark net A new study from the Australian National University has found that …
Methadone costs ‘not fair’
Leading doctors and the PSA’s Chris Freeman have called for full Federal Government subsidy for methadone treatment, as concerns over opioid dependency grow Out of pocket costs for people accessing …
Forced tapering and cessation: opioid consequences
Australian pain stakeholders have spoken out about the unintended consequences of limiting opioid prescribing, as the US makes new recommendations on the matter The US Food and Drug Administration has …
What are they waiting for?
Why are some jurisdictions dragging their feet on real-time monitoring? asks Angelo Pricolo As Victoria powers ahead with the Australia’s first automated Real-Time Prescription Monitoring (RTPM) system, the elephant in …
Photocopied script dispensed 60 times
New Zealand’s pharmacy regulator is reportedly “stunned” that a woman was able to use a single photocopied script to get tramadol from 21 pharmacies Stuff reports that Ramona Deane developed …