Lowers tolerance, raises profits –

DECEMBER 11, 2019 – “Vivitrol is being promoted in a way that does not adequately present important risk information in a truthful and non-misleading manner,” Thomas Abrams, director of the FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion, said in a statement. “This is concerning from a public health perspective because of the potential for fatal opioid overdose in this vulnerable patient population.” … Some marketing campaigns for Vivitrol, a monthly injection that works to prevent opioid cravings and block opioids’ euphoric effects, have branded the drug as “non-addictive” in an attempt to distinguish it from two other addiction treatment drugs, methadone and buprenorphine, which are opioids themselves. Alkermes’ claims prompted an outcry from treatment advocates who see methadone and buprenorphine as valuable, more accessible, and potentially more effective tools to prevent opioid overdose.

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