Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Drugs Overseas

    Los Angeles Times

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Due to the high cost of prescription drugs in the United States, approximately five million Americans purchase medication internationally. The Food and Drug Administration labels these drugs “foreign” and “unapproved,” and Federal Law states it is illegal to buy prescription drugs abroad.
 
Large Drug companies have lobbied for nearly 15 years to stop Americans from buying drugs overseas.
Tiffany Ardley, FAMU Alumna and Assistant Professor at the college of Pharmacy states,
“We have the benefit of being regulated by the FDA, meaning the drugs can’t be counterfeit.” 

She continued to explain, that for our safety, the drug has to endure a long process, pass safety tests and clinical trials for it to be approved. When one purchases overseas you run the risk of it being counterfeit and not knowing what ingredients are in the drug.

Drug companies stress the malignant effect of consuming counterfeit drugs through public education and media campaigns. In continents like Africa, Asia and South America more than 30 percent of the medicines are counterfeit. High counterfeit percentages reach as high as 70 percent in some areas. Some question the dangers of toxic and deadly ingredients inside fake medication.
 
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Health risks are involved when purchasing these drugs. The United States Customs is allowed to annihilate medications imported to patients, according to section 708 of the FDA Safety and Innovation Act.
 
The No. 1 reason why Americans do not take prescribed medication is due to drug costs, reports CVS Pharmacists. The National Consumer League believes that approximately 125,000 Americans die each year from either not taking prescribed drugs or not taking them correctly.
 
"I know that drugs are very expensive. Some drugs you can only get brand name, you can't get generics," Ardley said.




Some advice Ms. Ardley mentioned are that there are several prescription programs that can assist with lowering the cost of medication. Some Pharmaceutical companies have programs that provide the drug at a lower cost. She also suggested telling your doctor if you cannot afford the drug, and asking your doctor if they have a generic form of the drug.


By Gabrielle Dawkins, with contributions from the New York Times
Photo, Los Angeles Times
Video, ABC News
 


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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Heroin in Vermont

     New York Times

TALLAHASSEE, FL- At the State the State Message in January Gov. Peter Shumlin spoke on matters affecting the state of Vermont. He spent nearly 30 minutes focusing on the heroin crisis and methods of treatment.


He encourages society to look at addiction as a chronic disease that can be apprehended with treatment instead of punishment and incarceration.

Gov. Peter Shumlin said, "In every corner of our state, heroin and opiate drug addiction threatens us."

Some like Alfred Hickey can completely stop using heroin, saying that it is “mind over matter.” For others it is more difficult. Temptation surrounds them in what is understood to be safe rehabilitated areas.

Stephanie Predel, a recovering addict, said, "I can get most of my drugs right at the meeting. Drug dealers go because they know they're going to get business. People are going into the bathroom to get high."

In Vermont, weekly, $2 million worth of drugs including heroin and opiates are brought into the state.

Dr. Harry L. Chen, a Vermont health commissioner said, "Nationwide more people die of drug overdoses than from motor vehicles crashes.
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Since 1990 the number of deaths involving overdosing on drugs across the nation tripled.

Wayne Godfrey a Vermont state trooper said, “The quaint town of Bennington has had a rude awakening of drugs. Everyone is doing it. It’s in the high school. The kids are doing it right in school. You find Baggies in the hallway.”

Ms. Lanicia Patrice Arnwine, a licensed mental health counselor in Tallahassee, has experience in counseling adolescence who abuse substances. She noticed that the environment the child is in plays a major role in decision making. To add, at times it is a predisposition issue, being born with drugs in your system.

School, siblings, single parent home, and extracurricular activities are some of the entities she takes into account.

She has had kids explain to her that they get high to escape. They use drugs as a gateway to escape pain.

“When it comes to addiction they are not doing it to just to do it, there is a reason behind it,” she said.

A technique she uses is finding resources in the area to motivate them. For example, extracurricular activities like track and dancing can be helpful.

She provides counseling and therapy for adolescence. You get someone who is positive to get them involved.

Rita Haney is a licensed clinical social worker in the Tallahassee area. She stated that heroin, a popular drug during the Vietnam War era, seems to be taking a comeback; she does not quite understand why.

She explained that usually in teen years is when some start to experiment with drugs. They believe that at that age they can handle it. However, eventually the drug turns on them.

“There is a commonality among addicts when they find their drug of choice,” said Ms. Haney, who is a strong supporter of the Alcohol Anonymous program.

She describes AA as a spiritual program that serves as a safety net. It provides a group of support such as friends who were once in their shoes that can guide them on the right path.

The situation involving the death of Actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman spoke volumes. Ms. Haney, referring back to that situation said, “Abstinence is not recovery. Recovery is not just using, it’s being able to see yourself and life differently.”


By Gabrielle Dawkins, with contributions from the New York Times
Photo, New York Times
Video, National Geographic


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Supporters and Drug Save Seven Year Old Child


    USA Today

 TALLAHASSEE, FL- Josh Hardy, a four-time cancer survivor from Virginia, is suffering from an adenovirus infection. Within a few days, with the use of social media, his family gained media attention and support. The group took action to get him a drug that could potentially save his life.

                                    American Childhood Cancer Organization
           
In an interview with Channel 3, Hardy’s mother began sobbing when she found out that her son would be treated with the new drug. "We're trying to save our son," Josh's dad, Todd Hardy, said. 

Chimerix, a small North Carolina company, produces the drug Brincidofovir, and hundreds of requests were turned down for the drug. However, after thousands of emails and contacts enforcing the company to give Josh the drug, they gave in. Doctors, however, speculated whether or not they should give Josh the drug.

St. Jude Hospital stated,"This drug is experimental and has not yet been approved by the FDA, and the safety and effectiveness of the medication has not yet been established for use in children."


Florida A&M University alumnus and Research Associate of the College of Pharmacy, Dr. Tracy Womble commented on the Josh Hardy story.
Dr. Womble is not directly familiar with the drug Brincidifovir, however there are certain drugs that are very similar to it.
With his 11 year experience he stated that some of the concerns doctors would have are side effects that would come with the drug Brincidifovir. He states that another aspect to take into consideration is his age.

Throughout the year he read about patients petitioning drug companies, but he states the general public is unaware of upcoming drugs. Most drug companies do not make future drugs common knowledge. One reason doctors would know about this drug is because of research. “It’s no doubt that someone told the family about this drug,” Womble said.





He said a lawsuit does not carry more weight than a person’s life, but using a drug that has not been approved by the FDA is something that the doctor would have to be concerned with. “Let’s say the drug has some unknown side effects, the doctor may be liable. That is just something that each individual doctor would have to make a call on,” Womble said.

Medical ethicist Arthur Caplan, a professor at New York University Langone Medical Center, says,“I have huge sympathy for the family. I think they are right to try and see what they can get for their child." 


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This drug is said to fight off his viral infection that developed after his bone marrow transplant; after two weeks of Josh receiving the lifesaving drug, he moved out of the intensive care unit.

Todd Hardy said, "He wants to drink whatever he wants, he wants to be able to walk by himself and he wants to get out of the hospital." 
On March 31st Josh will celebrate his eighth birthday.

 
By Gabrielle Dawkins, with contributions from the New York Times
Photo, USA Today
Video, Mauriedee

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Noise Complaint Turns Into Drug Bust


     New York Times


TALLAHASSEE, FL - New York police officers responded to a loud complaint at apartment 311 an hour before midnight. Frank Giardina, 49, opened the door while smoking a pipe that had a distinctive smell. The smell led Police officers to ask about the aroma.

“Oh that’s weed,” Giardina said.

Chief of Police at Florida A&M University, Terrence Calloway, a police officer of nineteen years, was informed of the Giardina case and commented saying that he witnessed individuals who hallucinated after they smoked marijuana.

Giardina invited the police officers into the apartment after they requested for identification. Officers noticed five pounds of heroin on the kitchen table. Giardina was soon arrested.

“Really in a sense you’re asking to get arrested,” said Calloway. He further explained, “In a legal aspect it gave them the option to look and see certain things in his house.” He began to explain that the moment Giardina opened his doors and invited police offers in to his apartment with five pounds of cocaine in plain view, that they had the right to arrest him.

An electrician who wanted to remain anonymous was in the area.
“There’s no dope around here that I know of,” the electrician said.

Police officers obtained a search warrant and seized 1,948 glassine bags filled with heroin. Materials used for packing were also found. The Heroin found in apartment 311 had a street value estimated at $400,000.

On Sunday, Giardina was charged with first-degree criminal drug possession. His next court date is March 24. If convicted, he will face a minimum of eight years.
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Last year in New York, the Drug Enforcement Administration seized 317 pounds of heroin.

Calloway had been a police officer for 19 years and stated that he has seen it all. He grew up in an inner city housing project in Cleveland, Ohio where the life expectancy was 17 years of age. As a youth he was robbed at gunpoint and witnessed someone being shot in the head, he even participated in drug raids.

Calloway said, “Yes, I think any time you deal with drugs it has the ability to alter your mindset and way of thinking.” 




By Gabrielle Dawkins, with contributions from the New York Times
Photo, New York Times
Video, New York Times


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