FDA Approves the First Test to Identify Risk of Opioid Addiction

Published on December 21, 2023

Can a test determine if you’re at risk for opioid addiction? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) thinks so. That’s why the agency approved the use of the AvertD test on Tuesday, a first-of-its-kind test that assesses the risk someone carries of developing opioid use disorder. The AvertD test is available by prescription only for people 18 and older. It is administered by a physician or other health care provider as a way to determine if a patient who may be prescribed opioids for acute pain management is at risk of becoming addicted to the pain pills. Acute pain management, such as a prescription given after a planned surgery, typically lasts four to 30 days. The test is not intended for patients being treated for chronic pain, the FDA said in its press release....

Continue reading on website
Other news

Shooting at Prague University Leaves at Least 14 Dead and 24 Injured

December 21, 2023
PRAGUE—A mass shooting at the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University in Prague on Dec. 21 left more than 14 dead and 24 wounded. Police say the 24-year-old shooter, a student, was inspired by a similar horrific event in Russia. Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan described the shooting as “an unprecedentedly insane act that the Czech Republic has never seen in its history.”According to Police

IRS Lets Taxpayers Who Wrongly Claimed Pandemic-Era Tax Credit Keep 20 Percent and No Penalty

December 21, 2023
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has launched a new program for taxpayers who want to pay back money they received after filing certain pandemic-era tax credit claims in error—and to encourage participation, the IRS is letting them keep 20 percent of the funds.The IRS said in a Dec. 21 announcement that the new “voluntary disclosure program” relates to a flood of bad claims for the pandemic-era