Opiate overdoses fall after debut of abuse-resistant OxyContin

By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) – Opiate prescriptions and overdoses in the U.S. have declined since the debut of an abuse-resistant version of the painkiller OxyContin and the market withdrawal of the narcotic Darvon, a study finds. Researchers reviewed insurance claims records with data on prescriptions and hospitalizations for more than 30 million adults covered by UnitedHealthCare from 2003 to 2012. In the two years after OxyContin was reformulated and Darvon was withdrawn in 2010, prescriptions and overdoses both decreased about 20 percent. “The weight of evidence to date suggests that abuse of OxyContin decreased after the formulation change,” said lead researcher Marc Larochelle of Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, in an email.
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3 Secrets to Health Maintenance Success

3 Secrets to Health Maintenance Successby guest blogger Pam Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP, best-selling author and expert on health, fitness, and nutritionLet's say you're at a point in your wellness journey where you are gradually and proudly hitting critical milestones: You can briskly walk two miles without speed-dialing 911; you can zip up pants and jackets all the way (it's no longer…

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Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo to sell up to $3.6 billion Sun Pharma stake

A logo of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd at its research and development center in MumbaiBy Abhishek Vishnoi MUMBAI (Reuters) – Japan's Daiichi Sankyo Company Ltd is selling shares worth up to $3.6 billion in Indian drugmaker Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd , setting it on course to retreat from India after a rollercoaster seven years. Daiichi Sankyo bought India's Ranbaxy Laboratories in 2008, betting on growing global demand for generic drugs, but found itself saddled with a company battling complaints and sanctions from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Mumbai-headquartered Sun Pharma, India's largest drugmaker by sales, agreed to buy Ranbaxy from Daiichi Sankyo for $3.2 billion in April 2014 . As part of that deal, Daiichi Sankyo got a 8.9 percent stake in the new Sun Pharma.

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