Buprenorphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone mortality in the United States (2010‒2017).

Objective: Opioid overdose survivors present to emergency departments (EDs) and many EDs have developed programs to initiate buprenorphine. The impact of the increasing use of buprenorphine in ED and by other providers is unknown while opioid mortality continues to rise. Public mortality data do not distinguish buprenorphine from other prescription opioids.

Identifying and quantifying exposures involving counterfeit opioid analgesic products.

Introduction: The increasing presence of counterfeit opioid drugs in the United States can contaminate data collection systems and confound estimates derived from surveillance of the opioid epidemic. Data sources and analyses that can quantify the contribution of counterfeit opioid products are needed to provide accurate and timely data to inform public health responses. We describe a novel approach to identify and quantify intentional abuse and misuse exposures involving suspected counterfeit opioid products in United States poison center data.

Shifting Trends in Diagnosis of Asthma, Bronchiolitis, and Viral Pneumonia in Young Children.

Over the last decade, there have been widespread efforts to reduce non-evidence-based therapies for viral bronchiolitis. We question whether this change in practice has inadvertently impacted the diagnosis and management of other pediatric lower-respiratory-tract illnesses. We used the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) and logistic regression to describe trends in relative diagnosis frequency of bronchiolitis, viral pneumonia, and reactive airway disease (RAD)/asthma as well as systemic corticosteroid use among children of the age range 1 to 4 years over a 10-year period.

Association of Medical Stimulants With Mortality in the US From 2010 to 2017.

This cross-sectional study examines the association of medical stimulants with mortality in the US from 2010 to 2017.

Changes in Mortality Involving Extended-Release and Long-Acting Opioids After Implementation of a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy.

Objective: To assess changes in mortality rates in extended-release and long-acting (ER/LA) opioid analgesics after the implementation of the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS).

Setting: All drug poisoning deaths in three states: Florida, Oregon, and Washington. Data were obtained through state vital records offices and the Researched Abuse, Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance System Medical Examiner Program.

Scoring the best deal: Quantity discounts and street price variation of diverted oxycodone and oxymorphone.

Purpose: Diverted prescription opioids are significant contributors to drug overdose mortality. Street price has been suggested as an economic metric of the diverted prescription opioid black market. This study examined variables that may influence the street price of diverted oxycodone and oxymorphone.

Unit-Dose Packaging and Unintentional Buprenorphine-Naloxone Exposures.

Background And Objectives: Buprenorphine accounts for the most opioid-related pediatric hospital admissions when compared with other opioid analgesics. Since 2010, several manufacturers began distributing their buprenorphine products with unit-dose packaging (UDP). Our main objective in this study is to evaluate the impact of UDP on unintentional pediatric buprenorphine-naloxone poison center exposures.