addiction medication

As a physician and public health professional who has dedicated my career to improving the lives of those with addiction to heroin and other opiates, I read with dismay The Sun's articles on buprenorphine ("The 'bupe fix,'" Dec. 16-18). I have never seen a newspaper report so lacking in balance and context.

Every medication has side effects; what's critical is the balance of risks and benefits.

Buprenorphine is an effective treatment for the dangerous disease of opiate addiction. Balanced against the benefit of saving thousands of lives is the small risk of diversion of the drug, which is a tiny slice of the overall illegal drug trade.

It is telling that despite months of reporting and thousands of words, The Sun did not find a single person in Baltimore whose life has been ruined by buprenorphine.

Limbaugh Will Not Be Charged For Viagra Possession

Prosecutors announced Wednesday that they will not charge conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh with possession of Viagra without a prescription. Limbaugh was found carrying the drug in his luggage at Palm Beach International Airport on June 26 after returning from the Dominican Republic. The Viagra was prescribed for someone else.

Had Limbaugh faced charges, it could have jeopardized the deal his lawyers made with prosecutors in his earlier case. Limbaugh pled guilty to 'doctor shopping' after admitting he was addicted to prescription painkillers. Limbaugh was charged with lying to doctors to obtain extra painkilling medication to feed his addiction.

The Florida State Attorney's office agreed to drop the charges when Limbaugh's doctor, Steve Strumwasser, said that his name was placed on the bottle to help Limbaugh avoid the embarrassment associated with taking erectile dysfunction medication.

Letter from Reckitt Benckiser VP for scientific and regulatory affairs

We are totally committed to reducing the harm of this devastating and misunderstood disease state, and to helping as many individuals as possible into successful, long-term treatment. To this end, we have worked closely with the government, the addiction medical societies, and key thought leaders in the field of addiction to bring this medical treatment forward for the millions of everyday Americans who need treatment.

For many opioid-dependent patients (though not all), treatment with buprenorphine is an effective medical treatment option, especially when it is combined with necessary psychosocial support and counseling. Since the U.S. launch of Suboxone in early 2003, hundreds of thousands of addicted Americans have been successfully treated with the medication and have been able to improve the quality of their lives, and to reconnect with their families, careers, and communities as they remain in long-term recovery.