The FDA’s Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet to discuss the safety and efficacy of MoxDuo, a new morphine sulfate and oxycodone hydrochloride combination. Moxduo will be used to treat moderate to severe acute pain where the use of opioid analgesic is appropriate, according to Pain Medicine News.  If MoxDuo is approved, it’ll be the first combination drug to include two immediate-release opioids. 

Science Daily reports that in a test study, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have discovered that the anti-seizure medicine ezogabine has aided in reduced consumption of alcohol in test participants. Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the leading illnesses in the United States and negatively impacts the work environment and productivity of workers. It also causes health care expenses to sky rocket.

It would seem to make sense that substance use in the workplace, especially when categorized as substance abuse, would negatively affect productivity. However, there has been no definitive correlation between the two in order to demonstrate a positive relationship.

A common question often asked when discussing SAP services is what type of treatment is associated with the SAP process? In his article originially written for the DATIA Focus, Dr. Reed Morrison discusses why sucessful SAP services don't necessarily need to revolve around treatment recommendations, but rather could be considered a part of Contingency Management intervention. To read the full article: click here

Four motor carriers were told to shut-down immediately due to disregard of the federal safety regulations put in place by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Three out of the four companies that were shut-down, did not adhere to DOT Regulations CFR 49 Part 40, also known as the Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs.

• 6.6% of Americans employed in full-time jobs report heavy drinking, defined as drinking five or more

drinks per occasion on five or more days in the past 30 days; 4.9% of part-timers and 10.4% of unemployed workers also report heavy drinking; the highest percentage of heavy drinkers (12 .2%) is found among unemployed adults ages 26 to 34.'

• Up to 40% of industrial fatalities and 47% of industrial injuries can be linked to alcohol consumption and alcoholism.'

The 2014 theme for NCADD's Alcohol Awareness Month is Help for Today. Hope for Tomorrow. The NCADD hope that with this year's theme, the month with filled with local, state and national awareness initiatives aimed at educating people about the treatment and prevention of alchohol abuse. For more information about National Alcohol Awareness Month, visit the NCADD's website.  

The proposed rule would require FMCSA-regulated motor carrier employers, Medical Review Officers (MROs), Substance Abuse Professionals (SAPs), and consortia/third party administrators (C/TPAs) supporting U.S.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has updated it's online heroin research report. The updated report features current statistics as well as treatment options for heroin use disorders. 

Synthetic marijuana is causing as alarm in Emergency Departments across the country.

According to a recent performance study, the FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) is more effective at identifying high risk operators than the previous measurement system.

Two years of pre-SMS data was taken from a subset of carriers.  The historical data was then compared to future crash data and tracked for a period of 18 months.  The resulting analysis indicated that the algorithms used by the SMS would have identified risks and the need for interventions such as road side inspections, on-site investigations and warning letters.