Tag:Drugs
The FDA Steps in to Stop Unlawful Tranquilizer Imports
The FDA has taken action to stop the unlawful importation of a drug called xylazine by announcing on February 28 that they have issued an Import Alert for drug products or ingredients that have xylazine active products within them. Xylazine is a drug used in the veterinary field and is contained in drugs that sedate animals such as horses and deer (animal tranquilizers). It has increasingly been found within drugs in the illegal drug trade and has been linked to overdose deaths all over the country including California and Pennsylvania. The FDA’s action is part of its initiative to protect public health and stop the presence of xylazine in the nation’s illicit drugs.
Federal Safeguards Against Drug Shortages
From October 2022 to January 2023, there was a nationwide Adderall shortage. This recent shortage is no surprise since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced several Adderall shortages since 2019. Although the recent shortage has ended, researchers fear there will be more Adderall shortages in the coming year as prescribing rates continue to rise. More importantly, the recent shortage has made patients worried about future shortages and concerned about why the federal government has not done more to prevent drug shortages.
Post-Pandemic Telehealth and the Fate of Adderall
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) temporarily lifted the Ryan Haight Act’s mandate that imposes federal prohibition on online prescribing of controlled substances. The DEA waived its in-person medical examination requirement and set forth different criteria for controlled substances. For as long as the duration of the public health emergency (which was extended through January of 2023 this month), a patient can receive a controlled substance prescription without an in-person examination if the communication was conducted in a two-way, audio-visual, and real-time interactive communication. Covid highlighted the increased use of telehealth and digital health platforms. However, as telehealth surged, public policy has failed to move at the same speed.
The New Hope and Frustration for Alzheimer’s Patients
For the first time in about twenty years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a drug to combat the progression of Alzheimer’s. The newly approved drug is manufactured by Biogen and will be called Aduhelm. The FDA granted fast track designation of the drug to speed up access to patients. While Aduhelm will not reverse already developed Alzheimer’s symptoms, it will slow down the advancement of the disease by removing deposits of beta-amyloid, a protein found in early-stage Alzheimer’s patient’s brains.
Clinical Trials and Human Participants
This past spring the world locked down. Stores were closed, everyone was required to work from home, and masks became the latest fashion trend. This shift occurred because a virus, Covid-19, began making its way around the world. It has been about 4 months since our society locked down for the protection of its people and while it is slowly opening back up there are fears that without a vaccine or cure for Covid-19 it is going to keep spreading and we are going to have to remained locked down. Many pharmaceutical companies are working night and day to create a vaccine that can be widely distributed to help stop the spread of Covid-19. A drug that is for humans needs to be tested on humans to ensure it works before it can be approved and sold.