Pharmaceutical Diversion Education Inc.

A Good Start: President Trump and the Opioid Abuse Crisis

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In late October 2017, President Donald J. Trump declared the opioid abuse problem in America a national emergency. In his announcement, he expressed concern for the thousands of addicts and their plight. Trump also discussed increased federal enforcement and referenced a recent indictment of Chinese citizens who are allegedly involved in the production and trafficking of fentanyl, which makes its way to the United States and kills our citizens.

As could be predicted when any president of either party makes a major announcement, there were detractors. Some criticized Trump for mentioning the crisis 2 months ago but just now deciding to declare an emergency; in other words, what took so long? Others thought that he didn’t go far enough and that the declaration was useless because it did not mandate any funding to fight the crisis. In addition, no mention was made of the use of naloxone, a lifesaving medication, or the expanded use of controlled medication to treat addiction. [Read more…]

Finding Balance Amid the Opioid Abuse Crisis

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I have been around long enough to say that the pendulum swings back and forth regarding the feelings of “experts” on prescribing and dispensing drugs. In the 1990s, it was discovered that Americans were being undertreated for pain, something that I think was valid then and is still valid today.

The pharmaceutical companies initially produced more powerful and longer-acting opioids, morphine and oxycodone. The most successful and most abused was OxyContin, a product that has been used widely by legitimate patients and, unfortunately, illegitimately by others. Purdue Pharma went on to spend millions to not only develop an abuse-deterrent formulation but also assist law enforcement and others in reducing the abuse of its own medication.

The new, reformulated OxyContin found its way to retail pharmacies in August 2010. However, the already-stocked old drug remained on the shelves and did not become almost entirely unavailable until late 2010 or early 2011. [Read more…]

Who Is to Blame for the Opioid Crisis?

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I find it interesting that many people pin the blame for the opioid crisis on pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors.

States, cities, and even small municipalities have jumped on board to sue the manufacturers and/or wholesalers of prescription drugs.

The lure of no-cost attorneys who only take a portion if a suit is successful has drawn many governmental entities into the legal arena. Of course, some of the politicians initiating the suits are up for re-election soon, which is probably not a coincidence.

One thing I have learned is that complex and difficult problems seldom have quick and easy solutions. The opioid crisis came about for multiple reasons, and identifying one cause as the primary or only culprit is wrong and counterproductive. [Read more…]

The War on Drug Abuse A 3-Pronged Approach

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I have been in the business of fighting drug abuse for many years, just retiring for the final time from government after 49 years so I have seen the ebbs and flows. In the late 1960s, the heroin epidemic was raging in the inner cities, primarily affecting African-Americans. The heroin was 9% pure, compared with 50%-plus pure today, but the devastation was no different. Deaths due to overdose, violence in the form of robberies, and dealer wars were commonplace in some cities.

Along the way, the “War on Drugs” was announced. Ever since then, many of us have been asked if we are winning that war, with others deciding that we have performed dismally and that new efforts need to be initiated as the old ones aren’t working. Many think we lost the war on drugs some time ago. [Read more…]

Filling Prescriptions Under False Names

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The issue of writing prescriptions using an alias has entered the spotlight following the overdose death of acclaimed musician Prince last year. A doctor allegedly wrote prescriptions using a different name to safeguard Prince’s identity. This unfortunately is a more common practice than one might suspect, and pharmacists must be wary.

I first encountered this type of situation while in charge of the pharmaceutical unit at the Cincinnati Police Department in the 1990s. It was on a local level, so the so-called celebrity would have been unknown to anyone outside our area but was considered an icon locally. We served a search warrant on the pharmacy for a variety of potential criminal offenses and, in searching the pharmacy, discovered a ledger that detailed the filling of prescriptions for this local celebrity under a false name and address. [Read more…]

How BIG is the problem?

Year after year, state and local law enforcement statistics indicate that pharmaceuticals are almost 30% of the overall drug problem in the United States, running a close second only marijuana abuse. However, until recently, law enforcement, health care professionals, and the general public have placed little emphasis on this huge problem.

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About PDE

Pharmaceutical Diversion Education (PDE) is designed to assist a wide range of the population in understanding the potential abuse and addiction that can be associated with prescription medication.

Drug Diversion:
Any Criminal Act Involving a Prescription Drug.

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