HHS: It’s time to make marijuana C-III

It’s a long time coming, but the HHS has finally asked the DEA to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III — i.e., from “high risk of abuse and no medical use” to “available with a prescription.”

Currently (as you’ve probably heard) pot is considered as dangerous as heroin or LSD — and more dangerous than fentanyl or meth. Something ain’t right^*.

If the DEA agrees, it won’t make marijuana legal, but it will make it a lot easier for researchers to research, and for marijuana businesses to operate (and generate that sweet, sweet tax revenue).

^* This is not an official position of the Georgia Pharmacy Association, its staff, or its members.

The price of OTC Narcan

Narcan being available over the counter starting next month is good news … at least for those who can afford the $45 price tag. (Somehow it seems that the people who need it most might not be able to.) And government and harm-reduction groups? They’ll get a big ol’ $4.00 discount.

What about insurance? So far only Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has said it will cover OTC Narcan — even better, with a $0 copay. But note the word only; currently BCBS-MA stands alone.

Side note: 18% of people with an opioid problem are uninsured, per KFF.

Other side note: That $45 spray contains two doses, and potent opioids like fentanyl sometimes require more.

Vyvanse goes generic

As stimulants remain in shortage, a small bit of relief appears: The FDA has approved a bunch of generic versions of Vyvanse.

The now-approved generics range in dosage from 10 mg to 70 mg and come in capsule and chewable forms. Manufacturers such as Teva, Sun Pharmaceutical, Actavis, Mylan, Hikma and others have cleared the agency’s regulatory bar with their generics.

Note: Those companies have had their generics approved, but they haven’t said if or when they’ll actually ship.

A step to an HIV cure

HIV patients have to take antiretroviral therapy (ART) for their entire lives because the virus has a nasty habit of hibernating and coming to life the moment the ART stops, because the therapy only suppresses the virus.

But now Aussie researchers have made an interesting breakthrough. They found a drug that can keep those hibernating virus cells dormant a bit longer — two weeks. It may not sound like a lot, but the fact that it does even that means there might be a way to put a (metaphorical) wooden stake through the heart of the hibernating virus.

Oh, and the drug? Venetoclax — the blood cancer med that’s already FDA approved.

“In attacking dormant HIV cells and delaying viral rebound, venetoclax has shown promise beyond that of currently approved treatments.”

Next up: Testing it against HIV outside the lab on some of those shifty Danes.

Eliquis beats warfarin

The Swedes have proven it once and for all: Modern, NOAC blood thinners like Eliquis “reduce the risk of serious bleeding by up to 45 percent” compared to warfarin. Heck, compared to rivaroxaban (aka Xarelto), too.

Of course some patients need warfarin, but it’s worth checking whether there’s a better option.

I can see clearly now

When you’ve got yourself a bit of a buzz and suddenly decide to approach that hottie across the room, is that because of “beer goggles” or “Dutch courage^*”?

For reasons we cannot possibly fathom, researchers at Stanford Medicine decided to find out.

The answer: It’s courage, not goggles.

Whether or not participants were intoxicated had no effect on how good looking they found others. […] However, drinking did affect how likely the men were to want to interact with people they found attractive.

^* I cleared the use of this phrase with a Dutch friend. 👍