Finance Committee Expands Investigation Into Tax-Exempt Organizations With Ties To Opioid-Makers
The move is the latest effort to peel back the curtain on the interplay between pharmaceutical manufacturers and various organizations, some of which have been accused of working harder on behalf of industry interests than patient concerns. Other news on the crisis deals with kratom and needle exchanges.
Stat:
Senators Widen Probe Into Groups With Ties To Opioid Makers
The Senate Finance Committee is widening a probe into tax-exempt organizations — including patient advocacy groups and medical associations — that have financial ties with opioid makers in a bid to shed light on the extent to which these relationships affected the ongoing opioid crisis afflicting the U.S. Last Friday, letters were sent by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who heads the committee, and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the minority leader, to 10 organizations, including the Federation of State Medical Boards, which supports physician licensing and regulation; The Joint Commission, which accredits health care organizations; and such groups as the American Chronic Pain Association and the American Society of Pain Educators. (Silverman, 7/1)
Detroit Free Press:
Kratom: Answers About Side Effects, Drug Test And If It's Safe
Users hail kratom — which is sold at gas stations, smoke shops and online —as a miracle cure for pain, fatigue, anxiety and even opioid addiction. But many doctors say kratom (pronounced KRAY-tum or KRAH-tum) is dangerous because it works like an opioid, can make users high and can also be habit-forming. Plus, experts say, there's no real scientific proof it can cure anything. The federal government agrees. In May, a federal judge sentenced a Royal Oak man to two years in prison for illegally importing kratom — he claimed it was incense — and selling it as a medical treatment. (Kovanis, 7/2)
Kaiser Health News:
Florida Is The Latest Republican-Led State To Adopt Clean Needle Exchanges
A green van was parked on the edge of downtown Miami, on a corner shadowed by overpasses. The vehicle serves as a mobile health clinic and syringe exchange, where people who inject drugs like heroin and fentanyl could swap dirty needles for fresh ones. One of the clinic’s regular visitors, a man with heavy black arrows tattooed on his arms, waited on the sidewalk to get clean needles.“I’m Arrow,” he said, introducing himself. “Pleasure.” (Mack, 7/2)