Yesterday, members of the NDEWS team presented our epidemiological data and methods to detect new and emerging trends and substances of concern during the Illinois Department of Health Opioid Data Workgroup meeting. Discussions during the meeting focused on our RAPID Response Team's efforts to notify Departments of Health of overdose hotspots, as well as the need for naloxone education and resources. We presented data specific to counties in Illinois using 911 dispatch and seizure data. 

If you are interested in a potential collaboration or would like us to present data from your area to your team, please email us at ndews-cc@ufl.edu. We would be happy to prepare data specific to your area.  We would also like to know how we can best disseminate data to you. Thanks for helping us help you!

Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a news release describing what patients and health care providers should know when considering the use of compounded ketamine products. The FDA notes the increased interest in the at-home use of these products and says this presents an additional risk because onsite monitoring by a health care provider is not available. Potential safety concerns identified include psychiatric events, increased blood pressure, respiratory depression, and lower urinary tract and bladder symptoms. Read the news release here.

A Quick Stats report in last week’s MMWR focused on regional differences in age-adjusted drug overdose death rates involving cocaine. In 2021, the US age-adjusted drug overdose death rate involving cocaine was 7.3 deaths per 100,000 standard population. Rates were higher in mostly areas east of the Mississippi River, with the highest rate in a region including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Read the report here.

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) recently published a report describing the European amphetamine market, from production and trafficking to distribution and use. The authors note potential future threats, including the potential for more potent amphetamine to appear in EU drug markets and the increased role of the EU in the trade of captagon tablets. Read the report here.

Presenter: Barry K Logan PhD, F-ABFT, Chief Scientist NMS Labs

Date: Thursday, October 26, 2023

Time: 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET

Learn about NPS detection and interpretation and recently emergent literature on deaths involving the nitazene class of novel synthetic opioids, the latest cathinones/hallucinogens, and the currently popular designer benzodiazepines.

Register here. 

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