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Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine works just
as well against variant first detected in UK, study indicates
The Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech appears to work just as well against a fast-spreading variant
of the coronavirus first identified in the United Kingdom as it does against earlier forms of the pathogen, the companies reported in a study Wednesday.
The paper from company scientists, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, is a welcome signal that existing vaccines don’t seem to be weakened by the variant in question, dubbed B.1.1.7. Already, scientists had tested the Pfizer vaccine against one of the key
mutations in the variant and found the immunization’s neutralization power was not affected.
Scientists are also testing vaccines against other variants of concern, which contain different mutations that in lab experiments have shown they can, to some extent, help the virus evade existing antibodies that recognize and target the virus.
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Naltrexone, benzodiazepine use studied
in reducing hospitalization due to alcohol use disorder
Naltrexone, used either alone or together with disulfiram or acamprosate, is associated with a
decreased risk of hospitalization due to alcohol use disorder (AUD) when compared with non-use of AUD drugs, a new register-based study shows. The same associations were noticed for hospitalization due to any cause. Disulfiram use and polytherapy with two
or more drugs indicated for AUD was associated with a decreased risk of hospitalization due to alcohol-related somatic causes. None of the studied medications were associated with mortality or work disability (sickness absence or disability pension). The study
was published in Addiction. Read
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Unique SUD treatment community program
created for LGBTQ+ population
Fear of violence, harassment, discrimination, and stigma can increase the LGBTQ+ community’s risk
for developing substance use and mental health disorders. These are key reasons Advanced Health and Education developed its Perspectives program for LGBTQ+ clients.
According to recent analysis of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, of adults identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB), 2.6 million have a substance use disorder and 6.8 million have a mental illness. Thirteen percent have both a mental illness
and a substance use disorder. Fifty percent—or 1.4 million LGB people—struggle with illicit drugs. Three out of every five—or 1.7 million—struggle
with alcohol, and one in six—or 426,000 LGB people—struggle with both alcohol and drugs. Two out of every five LGB people—or 2.6 million—with a mental illness, have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness.
According to the report, these figures may be traced to the stress factors added upon them that are not faced by the majority of the population regarding gender confusion, family rejection (resulting in an increased risk of homelessness), discrimination with
employment or housing, and potential for physical violence from others. Read
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Paramedics dealing with more drug
overdoses than ever before
Paramedics responded to more drug overdoses on Vancouver Island and across B.C. last year than
ever before, as the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increasingly toxic drug supply.
B.C. Emergency Health Services released statistics showing a 12 per cent spike in 911 calls to deal with potential drug overdoses in 2020. There were 27,067 calls compared to 24,166 in 2019. The increase was even more dramatic in the Island Health region where
calls jumped nearly 16 per cent to 4,466 from 3,852 the previous year.
“Certainly COVID is something that we’re all dealing with, but what’s been marching hand in hand with that is the unabated opioid crisis,” said Brad Cameron, the agency’s manager of patient care delivery in Victoria. “So it’s not like it’s disappeared and gone
away. I think it’s been complicated because of the isolation and the stress that COVID has brought into our social environment.”
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Canada considering drug legalization
to fight overdose crisis
Canada's federal government is considering decriminalization of the possession of opioids and other
illicit drugs in its efforts to tackle a spiraling overdose crisis, a government official said this week, even as data show the number of charges rising.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government is facing pressure to rein in drug overdoses, though it has previously downplayed decriminalization.
Vancouver has asked the federal government to exempt the city from part of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of drugs within city boundaries. A spokesman for Health Minister Patty Hajdu said on Wednesday
that decriminalization was under consideration and that discussions with Vancouver were under way but would not comment further
That could subject people caught with small amounts of drugs to fines or mandatory treatment.
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New study finds rise in methamphetamine
deaths across U.S.
A new
study supported and conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that methamphetamine overdose deaths in the United States have risen sharply during an eight year period from 2011-2018. The study
noted that deaths involving methamphetamine rose from 1.8 to 10.1 per 100,000 men, and from 0.8 to 4.5 per 100,000 women, representing a five-fold increase from 2011-2018. The research also revealed that while deaths rose among all racial and ethnic groups,
American Indians and Alaskan Natives had the highest methamphetamine death rate overall. For example, non-Hispanic American Indians' and Alaskan Natives' methamphetamine overdose deaths rose from 4.5 to 20.9 per 100,000 people, more than quadrupling the rate
from 2011-2018. The analysis also identified an overall trend of higher methamphetamine overdose death rates in men than women.
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New research offers rare hope for
treating methamphetamine use disorder
A U.S. government-funded study has provided evidence of a hopeful treatment for people struggling with methamphetamine
use. People given a combination therapy of medications were more likely to avoid the drug and report improvements to their life than those given standard support and placebo, the study found. The findings are all the more encouraging because methamphetamine
use disorder is especially hard to treat.
In recent years, the drug overdose crisis has only worsened. There were more than 70,000 overdose-related deaths in 2019, and it’s strongly expected that 2020 was worse, thanks in part to the covid-19 pandemic. Much of the focus on the crisis has been paid
to opioids, but it’s become apparent that abuse of other drugs — including stimulants like methamphetamine — is also on the rise.
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US expands access to treatment for
Opioid Use Disorder
This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is announcing it will publish Practice
Guidelines for the Administration of Buprenorphine for Treating Opioid Use Disorder*, to expand access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) by exempting physicians from certain certification requirements needed to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid
use disorder (OUD) treatment.
More than 83,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in the 12 months ending in June 2020, the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period, and an increase of over 21% compared to the previous year, according to recent
provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The increase in overdose deaths highlights the need for treatment services to be more accessible for people most at risk of overdose and today's action will expand access to and availability of treatment for opioid use disorder. Read
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A medical treatment for meth addiction
proves effective in new trial
For the first time, a medication regime has been found effective for some patients with meth addiction
in a large, placebo-controlled trial. It's welcome news for those working with the growing number of people struggling with meth addiction.
"It's progress and it's quite significant," says Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Addiction, which funded the two-year clinical trial involving roughly 400 patients.
The study was published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine. Unlike opioid addiction,
for which medication-assisted treatment is the standard of care, no medication has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use with meth.
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United Nations reclassifies cannabis
as a less dangerous drug
A United Nations commission voted on Wednesday to remove cannabis for medicinal purposes from a
category of the world’s most dangerous drugs, a highly anticipated and long-delayed decision that could clear the way for an expansion of marijuana research and medical use.
The vote by the Commission for Narcotic Drugs, which is based in Vienna and includes 53 member states, considered a series of recommendations from the World Health Organization on reclassifying cannabis and its derivatives. But attention centered on a key recommendation
to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs — where it was listed alongside dangerous and highly addictive opioids like heroin.
Experts say that the vote will have no immediate impact on loosening international controls because governments will still have jurisdiction over how to classify cannabis.
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From our friends at
Dianova International |
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Drugs: Where is Europe Going?
The new European Drugs Strategy provides a political framework for EU policies in this field
and serves as a guideline for national strategies Read
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Drug Policies and Human Rights
Mainstreaming human rights in drug policies is essential to start building the post-COVID era
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Harm Reduction and the Global AIDS Response
Human dignity, community leadership and agency are the lessons – even in a pandemic year
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Voices of Civil Society in the Americas
Dianova International participates in the 50th OAS General Assembly and demands that addiction
services be considered as essential Read
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Treatment Communities of America
Winter Board Meeting & Reception / February 24, 2021
Contact [log in to unmask] for more details.
TO BE HELD VIRTUALLY
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Latin American Federation of Therapeutic Communities
17th Latin American Conference / Curitiba, Brazil
POSTPONED: TBD
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World Federation of Therapeutic Communities
28th World Conference / Sched. for November 2020 / New Delhi, India
POSTPONED: TBD
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European Federation of Therapeutic Communities
Conference scheduled for 2021 / Glasgow, Scotland
POSTPONED UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2022
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