As Drug Deaths Rise, Millions of Narcotic Prescriptions Filled | Oklahoma Watch.
State specific statistics for Oklahoma
FME
FDA and Opioids – WTF?
The U.S. already consumes 99% of the hydrocodone used in the world.
In 2010, Vicodin was the most prescribed medication in the U.S. with 131 million filled prescriptions. That same year, more than 16,000 people died of overdoses from narcotic painkillers, up from about 4,000 in 1999.
Notes from the Field: Acetyl Fentanyl Overdose Fatalities — Rhode Island, March–May 2013
The GC/MS toxicology results for 10 of the 12 decedents showed, in addition to acetyl fentanyl, various mixtures of other drugs, including cocaine (58%), other opioids (33%), ethanol (25%), and benzodiazepines (17%).
via Notes from the Field: Acetyl Fentanyl Overdose Fatalities — Rhode Island, March–May 2013.
So what do you do when you see a script for Naloxone prescribed by an EM specialist?
Hep C Drug Linked to Fatal Skin Reactions
The oral hepatitis C drug telaprevir (Incivek) will now carry a boxed warning about potentially fatal skin reactions in the wake of multiple deaths, its manufacturer said Wednesday.
via Hep C Drug Linked to Fatal Skin Reactions.
Oops.
Prescription Drug OD Deaths Up in Florida
Deaths in Florida involving prescription drugs in 2009 were four times as common as those related to illicit drugs, with alprazolam (Xanax) joining opioids among the top killers, the CDC reported.
From 2003 to 2009, the death rate in Florida from overdoses of prescription drugs increased 84.2%, from 7.3 to 13.4 per 100,000 population, according to data from the Florida Medical Examiners Commission analyzed by the CDC in the July 8 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Time to tighten up your anxiety/depression underwriting guidelines? How about script checks at lower amounts? Can you differentiate between the applicant who wants to off himself versus plain vanilla anxiety?
Raptiva Linked to PML
FDA MedWatch – 2009 Safety Alerts for Human Medical Products
Raptiva (efalizumab) Update.
There have been three confirmed, and one possible report of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare brain infection, linked to the use of this psoriasis drug. Underwriters are advised to watch for any indications of cerebral dysfunction in applicants taking Raptiva.
Watch, Listen, Learn – NSAIDs and Heart Failure
NSAIDS Increase Mortality in HF
I wonder if this counts as an FME?
Atypical Antipsychotic Drugs and the Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death
NEJM — Atypical Antipsychotic Drugs and the Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death
Here is a link to the NEJM abstract. When there is doubt regarding the findings of a medical study as reported by various sources, it is always prudent to go to the original source.
Meet the New Boss – Same as the Old Boss
Here is another report on the same Vanderbilt University study on antipsychotics originally reported on in the NEJM. The lesson from this comparison is obvious. Be cognizant of differences in reporting quality and possible underlying biases. The NYT article didn’t go deep enough. The sudden cardiac death risk from newer antipsychotics is about the same as the sudden death risk from older antipsychotics.
Same study, different perspectives. I’ll leave it to the reader to determine which is the better report.
Newer Antipsychotics – The Law of Unintended Consequences
lifeunderwriter.net 
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