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Overdose Deaths From Fake Pills Are Rising, Especially Among Younger Adults
The number of people who have overdosed and died from fake prescription pills has more than doubled in recent years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.
The majority of those deaths were among people younger than 35, who were taking what they thought was oxycodone or Xanax, it said.
But the drugs obtained did not come from a legitimate pharmacy; they were bought on the street, in classrooms or from friends. The counterfeit pills may look like the real deal but are usually made from a variety of unknown ingredients.
Very often, however, they’re laced with deadly levels of fentanyl. The CDC report, released to coincide with International Overdose Awareness Day, found that from mid-2019 to the end of 2021, overdose deaths involving counterfeit drugs more than doubled, from 2% to 4.7%.
Narcan Is Coming to Drug Store Shelves — for Those Who Can Afford It
The first opioid overdose treatment to be sold without a prescription will hit store shelves next month — but at a price some experts worry is too high for widespread use.
Why it matters: The individuals with the greatest need might not be able to afford a co-pay, if health plans even opt to cover over-the-counter Narcan, which will retail for $44.99.
Driving the news: Manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions said on Wednesday that it’s begun shipping out the two-dose, 4-milligram spray version of naloxone under the Narcan label to retailers like Walgreens, Walmart and Rite Aid.
State of play: The Food and Drug Administration approved selling Narcan without a prescription in March after FDA advisers unanimously endorsed it in February.
Republican Governors Call on Congress to Take More Action on U.S. Drug Shortages
After FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D., recently made comments about the untenable nature of generic drug production in the U.S., a clutch of governors has raised its own set of concerns about shortages. This week, 11 Republican governors sent a letter to Congress demanding action on the spate of drug shortages plaguing the U.S.
Citing shortfalls of critical meds like albuterol, amoxicillin and certain chemotherapies, the governors noted that shortages have sometimes lasted for years, often with “no good explanation for why.”
One possible reason for the shortages, they added, is tied to the fact that more than 80% of active ingredients in prescription drugs sold in the U.S. come from overseas.
Their letter calls for added transparency in the pharmaceutical manufacturing chain, ranging from the sourcing of raw materials to the finished product, including country of origin labeling. Additionally, Congress should help foster increased diversity in generic drug manufacturing with regard to both raw materials and final manufacturing, the governors said.
China’s CanSino Seeks More Vaccine Contracts After AstraZeneca Deal
China’s CanSino Biologics (6185.HK), which recently announced a contract manufacturing deal to support AstraZeneca‘s (AZN.L) messenger RNA (mRNA) technology vaccine program, is in talks with more firms on similar deals, its CEO said, as it seeks new revenue streams to make up for plummeting COVID vaccine demand.
CanSino began researching mRNA technology in 2018 and has built a facility in Shanghai that can produce up to 200 million doses a year, giving it the capacity to provide similar services to other companies, CanSino’s CEO and co-founder Xuefeng Yu told Reuters in an interview.
AstraZeneca said the deal would support investigational mRNA vaccines early in its pipeline, but the companies have declined to provide any further details.
CanSino, whose one-dose COVID shot is approved for sale in countries including China and Mexico, saw its revenues soar in 2021 at the height of the pandemic, but like many of its peers, its sales have since tumbled as demand waned.
Enfamil, Gerber, ByHeart Manufacturers Receive FDA Warning Letters Over Infant Formula Cronobacter Contamination
Following last year’s infant formula shortage triggered by a massive Similac cronobacter recall, which seriously sickened infants nationwide, federal health officials are investigating similar bacterial contamination problems found at three infant formula manufacturing plants responsible for the production of Enfamil, Gerber and ByHeart products.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to Mead Johnson Nutrition (Reckitt), ByHeart Inc. and Perrigo Wisconsin, LLC on August 30, stating that routine facility inspections found evidence of cronobacter in critical hygiene zones of the infant formula manufacturers’ production plants, along with other violations.
Johnson & Johnson’s Spinoff of Kenvue Provides $13.2 Billion in Potential M&A Firepower
Last month, during a quarterly conference call — as Johnson & Johnson considered its future beyond the separation of its consumer health unit — Chief Financial Officer Joe Wolk described the company’s appetite for M&A as “voracious.”
Helping fuel that appetite are the proceeds gained from the spinout of Kenvue. Wednesday, J&J said the offering had generated $13.2 billion in cash.
As the company walked investors through its adjusted finances from the separation, it did not address business development. But the big number was an eye-catching reminder of the added firepower J&J can deploy.
As for other adjustments J&J has made to its projections for 2023, revenue is expected to fall between $83.2 billion and $84 billion. That’s down from a previous window of $98.8 billion to $99.8 billion, prior to the spinoff. The new figure represents a 7% growth in sales from J&J’s pharma and medtech sectors from last year.
