National

  • Only 1 in 4 Adults Needing Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Received Medications

    Black and Latino adults less likely to receive any treatment by Shannon Firth, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today June 27, 2024 Only about a quarter of adults who needed treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) received recommended medications, survey data showed. In 2022, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that 3.7% of…

  • White House Challenge

    Saving Lives From Overdose America’s overdose crisis impacts all of us. Families in small towns, large cities, Tribal lands, and every community in between are affected, no matter who they are, what they look like, or how much money they make. That’s why President Biden named beating the opioid and overdose crisis a key pillar…

  • Over-the-counter sales of Narcan to begin this week

    By Lindsey Theis The purple pinwheel in Michelle Leopold’s front yard symbolizes overdose awareness. She’s a “tough mother” fighting against fentanyl. Her first-born son Trevor died when he was only 18 years old in his dorm room, after taking what he believed to be an oxycodone pill that was, unbeknownst to him, laced with fentanyl. Leopold…

  • Narcan at music festivals? The life-saving drug naloxone is coming to a concert near you

    David Oliver | USA Today It’s festival season, meaning fabulous flower crowns, loud live music and Narcan. Yes, the overdose-reversing drug Narcan (naloxone) will be available at music festivals near you this year – and with good reason, experts say. Drugs and alcohol are staple at music festivals and many often overdo it. Combine that with the overwhelming presence of fentanyl in the drug…

  • Biden-⁠Harris Administration Designates Fentanyl Combined with Xylazine as an Emerging Threat to the United States

    ATLANTA, GA – Today, Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), has officially designated fentanyl adulterated or associated with xylazine as an emerging threat to the United States. Xylazine is a non-opioid tranquilizer approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for veterinary use but not human use….

  • The FDA approves the overdose-reversing drug Narcan for over-the-counter sales

    By Joe Hernandez / NPR The overdose-reversing drug Narcan could soon be available to buy over the counter without a prescription, the Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday. The FDA’s approval of the nasal spray Narcan — the brand name for the drug naloxone — means the medication could be more widely available across the U.S….