Needle Exchanges Work, But Resource Shortages, Users’ Unsafe Practices Undermine Success
Although the programs are showing results, problems still exist. There are rarely enough needles for users, even when an area has an established exchange program. In addition, white people tend to share needles and are less likely to seek out clean syringes. Meanwhile, the rising cost of an anti-overdose medication is causing panic for those who desperately need it.
Stat:
Needle Exchanges, Once Met With Fierce Resistance, Are Working
Needle exchanges, long credited with helping to slow the spread of infectious diseases by public health experts, have made inroads in recent years, even in states traditionally opposed to them. A ban on federal funding for needle exchanges was lifted earlier this year. States including Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia have made it easier, or in some cases possible for the first time, for programs to operate. Even Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who resisted needle exchanges on moral grounds, repealed a ban on syringe exchanges as governor of Indiana when confronted with an HIV outbreak (albeit too slowly for many experts). (Joseph, 11/29)
The Washington Post:
White, Rural Drug Users Lack Needle Exchange Programs To Prevent HIV Infections
Needle-sharing by opiate addicts is placing rural white communities at much greater risk of new HIV infections than ever before, and the United States doesn’t have enough syringe programs in place to address the problem, according to a federal report released Tuesday. Although needle exchange programs have been politically controversial for decades, studies have demonstrated their public health benefits in dramatically reducing the rate of HIV transmission and risk of hepatitis infections among injection drug users without increasing the rate of illegal drug use....For the first time, in 2014, whites who inject drugs had more HIV diagnoses than any other racial or ethnic population in the country, the report said. (Sun, 11/29)
Boston Globe:
Progress In Slowing HIV’s Spread Endangered By Opioid Epidemic
The nation’s progress in slowing the spread of HIV among people who inject drugs is in jeopardy as heroin use expands across the country and preventive services fall short, a top federal official said Tuesday. (Freyer, 11/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
More Whites Die Than Are Born In One-Third Of States
More white people are dying than being born in about one-third of the states, a new peak in a trend that is reshaping the social, political and economic landscape of the U.S. Research released Tuesday by the University of New Hampshire found that the number of states where white deaths outpace births has climbed rapidly over the last decade, rising to 17 in 2014 from just four in 2004. (Adamy, 11/29)
Columbus Dispatch:
Rising Price Of Life-Saving Overdose Drug Naloxone Worries Addicts’ Families
Naloxone, which also is sold under the brand name Narcan, works by blocking the effect that painkillers and heroin have in the brain and reversing the slowed breathing and unconsciousness that come in an overdose. It can be given by an injection or nasal spray. Until the late 1990s, naloxone, which has been around for more than four decades, could be bought for as little as a dollar a dose. Now the drug runs from a little less than $40 for a single generic dose to $3,800 for two auto-injectors that give people administering the drug voice instructions, according to an analysis of Ohio prices by HealthPlan Data Solutions. (Pyle, 11/30)
Boston Globe:
Nursing Homes Urged To Stock Overdose Antidote, Train Staff In Addiction Care
Massachusetts regulators are ordering nursing homes to begin stocking the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and to make sure that staff members are trained to care for residents battling addictions, further evidence of the extent of the state’s opioid crisis. The issue of substance abuse in nursing homes came into sharp focus this year when the Globe reported that state inspectors declared patients in at least two facilities in “immediate jeopardy” because of serious violations, including lack of substance abuse treatment and inadequate staff training. (Lazar, 11/30)
And in other news from the opioid epidemic —
The Wall Street Journal:
DEA Bans A Cousin Of Deadly Synthetic Opioid Fentanyl
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Tuesday added furanyl fentanyl, a deadly cousin of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, to its most restrictive list of controlled substances. The ban comes as the DEA tries to thwart the fast-evolving market for synthetic opioids, including several fentanyl analogues and relics from old pharmaceutical research like the chemical U-47700. (Kamp, 11/29)
Kaiser Health News:
Tighter Prescribing Rules: An Anti-Abuse Strategy That Could Hurt Patients In Pain
As rates of prescription painkiller abuse remain stubbornly high, a number of states are attempting to cut off the supply at its source by making it harder for doctors to prescribe the addictive pills to Medicaid patients. Recommendations on how to make these restrictions and requirements were detailed in a “best practices” guide from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Luthra, 11/30)
WBUR:
Interactive Website Highlights Extent Of State's Opioid Addiction Epidemic
State health officials have finished work on an interactive website containing information about how the opioid addiction epidemic is affecting Massachusetts. The site is based on the so-called "Chapter 55 Report," which analyzed information from public and private databases on the opioid epidemic. (Becker, 11/29)
New Hampshire Union Leader:
More Than A Dozen People Seek Help At Nashua Safe Stations In Program's First Two Weeks
Since launching the city's Safe Stations program less than two weeks ago, 13 individuals have sought help for drug addiction at local fire stations, and nearly a dozen more have called the fire department for assistance...Nashua officially began operating its Safe Stations on Nov. 17. Anyone seeking treatment or recovery from addiction to opioids or other substances may visit a city fire station at any time for help. Once there, trained firefighters will connect the individual with help, and representatives from American Medical Response and Harbor Homes will immediately respond to each report. Since opening, 13 individuals have arrived at the fire stations asking for help, according to Donchess. (Houghton, 11/29)
Reuters:
New York Pharmacy Owner Gets Prison For Massive Opioid Pill Scheme
The owner of two now-defunct New York City pharmacies was sentenced to four years in prison on Tuesday for engaging in what authorities have called one of the largest opioid painkiller diversion schemes ever uncovered in the city. Lilian Jakacki, the pharmacies' owner, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan, who cited the nation's growing opioid drug epidemic as one factor he considered in imposing the prison term. (Raymond, 11/29)