Latest Heroin Stories

Congress, DEA, Pharmaceutical Companies, Public Must Do More to Counter "National Crisis of a Leading New Source of Death" WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former White House Drug Policy spokesman Robert Weiner and analyst Varun Saxena call for a "prescription for safety with prescription drugs." Congress, DEA, pharmaceutical companies, and the public must do more to counter "a national crisis of a leading new source of death." In a New Jersey Star Ledger oped today,...

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Results from a recent study issued by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and released by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) revealed that the overall number of heroin abusers rose by nearly 90 percent - from 213,000 to 399,000 individuals - since 2007. The study also found that within this same time span, the number of first-time users rose 70 percent, from 106,000 to 180,000 individuals,...

Rural teens appear more likely than their urban peers to use prescription drugs for non-medical purposes, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the March 2011 print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.The non-medical use of prescription drugs is common among U.S. adolescents, with about one in eight reporting lifetime non-medical use of prescription opioids, according to background information in the article....

When both the effects on the individual and the impact on society as whole is taken into account, alcohol is more dangerous than heroin or crack cocaine, claims a new study published in UK scientific journal The Lancet.In their report, former British government drug advisor David Nutt and researchers with the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs (ISCD) tested 20 drugs using 16 different measures of harm caused both to the individual taking the substance as well as to wider...

New survey shows that relatively few legitimate users of opioid medications are getting the information they need to keep their medications safe. ROCKLIN, Calif., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For some people with ongoing or chronic pain, opioids (medications such as oxycodone or hydrocodone) can make the difference between disability and the ability to function at near-normal levels. For those with acute pain, such as pain after surgery or injury, sound pain management with opioids...

Ciudad Juarez, the notorious Mexican border city at the heart of a wave of brutal drug violence, is home to thousands of drug addicts, and the number continues to climb.Abandoned by authorities, these drug addicts live in fear of gangs who threaten and often kill them for no reason. There has even been brutal killings at drug treatment centers.A drug user who called herself Carla, said these drug gangs will now even "enter houses and kill us. We keep this window open so we can at least try...

SEATTLE, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Omeros Corporation (Nasdaq: OMER) today announced that the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has provided an additional grant to fund clinical studies for the Company's Addiction program. This grant, which is for a total of approximately $3.6 million to be paid over a four-year period in equal amounts, will fund direct and indirect costs of Phase 2 clinical studies to be conducted by researchers at the New York State Psychiatric Institute...

Statement of Steve Pasierb, President NEW YORK, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of Alkermes' opioid dependence medication (VIVITROL) for the prevention of relapse to opioid dependence following opioid detoxification is positive news for families of young adults and all those who are struggling to overcome opioid addiction. Addiction, a disease of the human brain, is a chronic illness while opioid dependence is frequently characterized by...

Former Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey Says "Reluctant Addicts More Likely to Obtain Treatment Once-a-Month"; CRC Health Group to Include Vivitrol among Treatment Options Company has used Vivitrol to treat alcoholism for years with positive results WASHINGTON and CUPERTINO, Calif., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "The FDA's just approved monthly drug treatment with Vivitrol could be a game changer," said the country's largest substance abuse treatment provider, CRC Health Group, Recovery...

SILVER SPRING, Md., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Vivitrol to treat and prevent relapse after patients with opioid dependence have undergone detoxification treatment. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090824/FDALOGO) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090824/FDALOGO) Vivitrol is an extended-release formulation of naltrexone administered by intramuscular injection once a month. Naltrexone works to block opioid...