#HugsNotDrugs may be the best idea the White House has had yet on the #heroin problem in the US - http://clapway.com/2015/08/17/the-white-house-war-on-heroin-treatment-may-be-better-than-punishment-324/

The White House announced a new initiative today that pairs law enforcement officials with public health agents, thereby shifting its focus from punishing heroin addicts to treating them.

The Heroin epidemic: more users and more deaths

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more people are using heroin, including demographic groups⎯⎯ like women and people with high incomes ⎯that were earlier associated with low heroin use. The deaths associated with heroin overdose have nearly quadrupled between 2002 and 2013⎯more than 8200 people died in 2013.

Heroin is a highly addictive, illegal opiate drug that could result in death by overdose. Moreover, heroin users tend to be addicted to other opiate prescription drugs, marijuana and alcohol, which increases their likelihood of overdosing. The CDC calls for increased measures at the federal and state level to handle preventive and therapeutic measures for heroin overdose in vulnerable communities.

Marijuana vs. Heroin: Find out which is worse! 

The White House plan to end the war on heroin

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy unveiled a pilot program for $5 million covering 15 states from the New England to Washington D.C. area. Public health officials and drug intelligence officers come together to gather data on where the heroin is coming from, where and how it gets laced with a deadly additive, and what are the distribution channels being employed to get the drug to the street-level dealers. Heroin laced with fentanyl ⎯a legal opioid drug used to relieve post-surgical pain ⎯has been responsible for many heroin-related deaths. This initiative centered on the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas of the United States, hopes to collect overdose data, find patterns in trafficking behavior, and plan interventions faster than what is available today. The input of public health officials helps with training first-responders to quickly use medications like naloxone that could reverse the effects of heroin, thereby preventing deaths.

A comprehensive approach to fight against heroin use

A key component of the new plan to end the war on heroin is the shift of priorities from law enforcement to treatment of heroin addiction. The program plans to forego arrests in favor of preventing deaths from drug overdose, an initiative that seems to work. The public policy officials employed under this plan would analyze the data to identify spikes in drug use and monitor targets moving across state lines with the help of law enforcement coordinators. This free communication across state lines would help faster tracking and response.

Bringing together public heath and law enforcement seems to be the best way to tackle the surge in heroin addiction.

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Speaking of drugs, how do we give up coffee?:

 

The White House War on Heroin: Treatment May Be Better than Punishment

House of Reps Passes New 21st Century Cures Act - http://clapway.com/2015/07/10/house-of-reps-passes-new-21st-century-cures-act569/

New Drug Regulations in House of Reps

On Friday, the US House of Representatives passed a bill, called the 21st Century Cures Act, that may speed up the process for drugs to make it to the market.

As reported by Reuters, this decision – coming at a vote of 344 to 77 – “will allow for new drugs to make it to the public market much quicker than the current regulations allow.” This will be done as per the Act’s requirements, specifying that the FDA to make their journey to the market occur smoothly, while opening the possibility of more inclusive regulations. Some guidelines that the Act includes are flexible clinical trials to test the safety and vitality of each drug, and the utilizing of patient experience in the final approval. The FDA’s current framework would be completely overhauled and recreated to fit the implementations of drug approval.

The 21st Century Cures Act was developed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. A similar bill is expected to be voted on by the Senate later this year, and the success of the 21st Century Cures Act leaves open the possibility for its passing as well.

So, What Are the Regulations?

The House bill does come with specific regulations and guidelines for the FDA to follow in its new overhaul of drug approval methods. There would be an increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health by almost $9 billion over a five-year time period, while also increasing funding for the Food and Drug Administration. An upside to this would be the increased incentives for major pharmaceutical companies to create drugs that focus on specific and not-so-common diseases. There would also be a speedier timeframe for antibiotics to be approved, as it will have fewer testing trials to undergo.

21st Century Cures Act’s Effect on Healthcare Regulations

In short, this bill has the potential to shift how drug companies and the healthcare field interact with each other and their patients. And while many will be watching carefully to examine just how the 21st Century Cures Act will be utilized to best address patient concerns, there is still the hope that the passing of this bill, along with others, will allow for a better examination of solution addresses within the healthcare field.

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House of Reps Passes New 21st Century Cures Act