Category Archives: Drugs

WASHINGTON National regulations are needed to stop the continued abuse of racehorses with painkillers and other drugs, experts and members of the horse racing industry told a Senate committee on Thursday. "The horse racing industry has demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to regulate itself," testified Sheila Lyons, director of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, at a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee hearing. The issue of drug use in horse racing has received renewed attention after an investigation by the New York Times that found trainers in the United States had been caught illegally drugging horses 3,800 times since 2009. Unlike other sports, horse racing lacks a commission that issues uniform rules. Although most states have banned steroids in horse racing, rules and enforcement that regulate other performance-enhancing drugs and therapeutic medications vary across states. Certain medications can legitimately help the healing process of ailing horses, but when they are used to "mask pain on an unsound horse so that he or she can race on the track, the drug becomes an abusive practice that puts the life of the horse and jockey at risk," said committee chairman John Rockefeller (D-W.Va). Other drugs, such as demorphine, … Continue reading →

Two synthetic drug blends tested in the last week by AIT labs. The active compounds, UR-144 and XLR-11, are not covered by the federal ban. Photos: Kevin Shanks/AIT Labs A federal ban on synthetic drugs, signed into law by President Obama on July 9, was obsolete before the ink of his signature dried. Drug formulations not covered by the laws language, and almost certainly synthesized in direct response to legal pressure, are already on sale. If synthetics are supposed to be part of the War on Drugs, then this battle may already be lost. There are several compounds out there now, in mixtures that Ive tested myself, that would not fall under this ban, said Kevin Shanks, a forensic toxicologist at AIT Laboratories, an Indiana-based chemical testing company. The law just cant seem to keep up. The new law, officially known as the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 2012, comes in response to the growing popularity of compounds designed by chemists to mimic the effects of various illegal substances, particularly marijuana and amphetamines. Sold legally for nominally non-consumptive purposes brand names include Spice incense, Ivory Wave bath salts and Crystal Clean pipe cleaner the synthetics are often more potent … Continue reading →

Abuse-deterrent reformulations of widely misused prescription painkillers may not be the "magic bullets" many hoped they would be in the battle against addiction In August 2010, the maker of the prescription painkiller OxyContin released an abuse-resistant formulation of the drug to deter addicts from crushing it and inhaling or injecting it. The new pill had a dramatic effect: OxyContin went from being the primary drug of abuse for 36% of prescription-drug misusers to just 13% about 21 months later, according to a letter published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Problem is, this didnt mean that drug users quit when they stopped getting high on OxyContin. Instead, they simply switched drugs. As abuse of OxyContin (oxycodone) fell, other opioids moved in to fill the gap: drug users choosing high-potency fentanyl and hydromorphone rose from 20% to 32%, according to the NEJM survey. When asked about the drugs used to get high in the past 30 days at least once, OxyContin fell from 47% of respondents to 30%, while heroin use nearly doubled. As USA Today reports, the opioid Opana (oxymorphone), which was introduced in 2006 without a mechanism to deter misuse, is now more commonly used than … Continue reading →

STOLEN GOODS: Police seized a cache of stolen goods in a series of raids on northern suburbs property. Source: PerthNow STOLEN GOODS: Police seized a cache of stolen goods in a series of raids on northern suburbs property. Source: PerthNow STOLEN GOODS: Police seized a cache of stolen goods in a series of raids on northern suburbs property. Source: PerthNow POLICE have seized drugs, more than $100,000 in stolen property, firearms and ammunition in a series of raids on homes in Perth's northern suburbs. The raids were part of an operation targeting high volume burglars and mid-level drug dealers. Three people, two men and one woman, have been charged over the haul of drugs and stolen property, which includes quad-bikes, flat screen televisions, cars and motorbikes. It will be alleged the three charged were supplying drugs to others committing burglaries. North West Metropolitan District Superintendent Charlie Carver said today the raids were carried out on homes in Clarkson, Kinross, Aveley and Mariginiup. It will be alleged the majority of the stolen property was located at the Aveley address. The three people charged were arrested last night when the car they were travelling in was pulled over in West Swan. Read … Continue reading →

PEPFAR, the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, is responsible for getting millions of people on treatment. But researchers say it was not until the program started using cheaper generic drugs that great strides were made against the epidemic. PEPFAR is considered one of the hallmarks of President George W. Bushs time in office. Its goal was to transform HIV/AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable chronic disease. And for millions of people around the world, thats now the case as the program continues under President Obama. However, Dr. Kartik Venkatesh said when PEPFAR began it was hampered by the high cost of brand name antiretroviral drugs. Early on, PEPFAR wasnt able to reach nearly as many individuals because if the proprietary versions of these drugs were going to be used, simply, with the limited budget only so many could be reached. However, [in] the real success of PEPFAR, a significant factor has been the procurement and use of generic drugs, he said/ Venkatesh is the lead author of a study by Brown University researchers on the success of PEPFAR. He said, The question was if were providing patented drugs to American patients, we should be providing the same … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (July 11, 2012) People at high risk of HIV infection can reduce their risk of acquiring the disease by taking antiretroviral drugs, according to Cochrane researchers. In an update of a systematic review first published in 2009, the researchers found that uninfected people in relationships with HIV-infected partners, men who have sex with men and those in other high risk groups are at a lower risk of becoming infected with the virus if they regularly take drugs that are normally prescribed to treat people with HIV. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the standard drug treatment for HIV in patients whose disease has progressed to a certain level. Antiretroviral drugs are also beginning to be used as prophylactics in people at high risk of acquiring the disease from sexual partners. The use of antiretroviral drugs in preventing as opposed to treating HIV infection is referred to as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is often considered controversial, not only because uninfected people may develop resistance to the drugs and experience serious side effects such as kidney toxicity and bone density loss, but also because the idea that PrEP offers protection may encourage people to indulge in riskier sexual behaviour, thereby increasing their overall … Continue reading →

U.S. Army soldiers inside a cell block at Camp Five at the Joint Task Force Guantanamo detention center on Nov. 14, 2006. Photo: Army Prisoners inside the U.S. militarys detention center at Guantanamo Bay were forcibly given mind altering drugs, including being injected with a powerful anti-psychotic sedative used in psychiatric hospitals. Prisoners were often not told what medications they received, and were tricked into believing routine flu shots were truth serums. Its a serious violation of medical ethics, made worse by the fact that the military continued to interrogate prisoners while they were doped on psychoactive chemicals. Thats according to a recently declassified report (.pdf) from the Pentagons inspector general, obtained by Truthout after a Freedom of Information Act Request. In it, the inspector general concludes that certain detainees, diagnosed as having serious mental health conditions being treated with psychoactive medications on a continuing basis, were interrogated. The report does not conclude, though, that anti-psychotic drugs were used specificallyfor interrogation purposes. The only drug explicitly named in the report was Haldol, first marketed in the 1960s and still used today as a relatively cheap and hard-boiled anti-psychotic sedative in psychiatric hospitals (more commonly in emergency rooms). Haldol has declined … Continue reading →

Public release date: 10-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Jennifer Beal sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 44-012-437-70633 Wiley People at high risk of HIV infection can reduce their risk of acquiring the disease by taking antiretroviral drugs, according to Cochrane researchers. In an update of a systematic review first published in 2009, the researchers found that uninfected people in relationships with HIV-infected partners, men who have sex with men and those in other high risk groups are at a lower risk of becoming infected with the virus if they regularly take drugs that are normally prescribed to treat people with HIV. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the standard drug treatment for HIV in patients whose disease has progressed to a certain level. Antiretroviral drugs are also beginning to be used as prophylactics in people at high risk of acquiring the disease from sexual partners. The use of antiretroviral drugs in preventing as opposed to treating HIV infection is referred to as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is often considered controversial, not only because uninfected people may develop resistance to the drugs and experience serious side effects such as kidney toxicity and bone density loss, but also because the idea that PrEP offers protection may … Continue reading →

10 July 2012 Last updated at 08:40 ET A man has been charged and remanded in custody after a stolen pharmaceuticals van was involved in a collision with two police vehicles in Derbyshire. Three police officers suffered minor injuries in the crash which happened at about 21:15 BST in Riddings, near Alfreton, on Friday. The van had been stolen from outside a pharmacy in Jacksdale, in Nottinghamshire, earlier in the day. John Ward, 30, from Ironville, was charged with dangerous driving. He was also charged with driving with no licence or insurance. Police believe the van was used in three robberies and one attempted robbery, on Friday. Three took place in Sutton-in-Ashfield and one in Huthwaite, where a purse and a mobile phone were among the items stolen. A 30-year-old man has been arrested and bailed in connection with the theft of the van and the robberies. Mr Ward suffered neck and back injuries as a result of the collision and had to go to hospital. See the rest here: Stolen drugs van in police crash … Continue reading →

Prescription drugs are killing more San Diegans than ever before, according to the Countys first Prescription Drug Abuse Report Card released today. The report tracked a five-year period from 2007 to 2011. Last year, prescription drugs played a role in the deaths of 267 people, a 27 percent increase compared to 2007 when 211 deaths were reported. A total of 1,164 people have died due to prescription drugs in the last five years. Prescription drug abuse has become a serious problem in our county. Many young people and adults are abusing prescription drugs. And these drugs can be found at home, said Supervisor Pam Slater-Price at a Monday news conference. The report card, which includes nine indicators of prescription drug abuse in the region, also showed the following trends: Emergency room visits due to opiates were up by 64 percent Total students reporting prescription drug abuse increased (from 17 to 19.6 percent) The number of juveniles and adults reporting prescription drug misuse also increased (from 33 to 37 percent and 40 to 41 percent respectively) Number of robberies/burglaries to pharmacies also rose from 9 to 26 incidents, a whopping 188 percent increase. What the report card shows is alarming, said … Continue reading →