Politics not withstanding… the change of administration tomorrow will probably have a serious impact on the community.  Biden was part of the administration when the Decade of pain law expired in 2009 and was not renewed… and the war on pt/drugs accelerated.

A few interesting stats and facts that are coming out:

Executive orders on first day     Bush 43 – ZERO   Obama – ZERO     Trump – ONE    Biden – estimated 10-12

How many times have each of heard/read from a family member/friend state with someone close to them who is a addict or OD’s  “… No other family should go thru this …”

President Biden (Attorney) has a son who is at best a addict in recovery

VP Harris (Attorney) when AG of CALF put 1500 people in jail over MJ use and at the same time video interview saying that she used MJ

The proposed head of HHS is going to be another Attorney  the head of health and human services being an attorney ?

Of course the AG will be an attorney

We have people from Central America heading for our southern border because Biden stated  “in my first 100 days no one will be deported…”…what he didn’t say… was that … that promise would only apply to anyone already in our country BEFORE Jan 1, 2021.

In general attorneys like to make sure our laws are enforced….  and we have the muddled mess of reported use/abuse/OD from opiates from the CDC – It is common knowledge that the vast amount of OD’s involve illegal opiates – mostly illegal fentanyl  and the drug alcohol  – average OD toxicology has 4-7 different substances show up.  In those few hundred of OD’s that has only a opiate that the pt has been legally prescribed would suggest a SUICIDE, but if a suicide note is left behind…. most seem to VANISH and the death is ruled as a accidental overdose.

Some have been discussing creating a “commercial” …  I remember one other advocate tried that with a 15 second commercial on one of the cable channels.. but I have not seen nor heard anything about those commercials for sometime …. maybe they didn’t produce some results or they got too expensive.

Someone who wishes to run a 30 second commercial locally on a single channel one time … ballpark cost is $5000.  Want to put that same commercial on one of the major channels at night… a single slot starts at about $13,000 and goes up dramatically.

I am been blogging for 9 yrs and have not seen the first incident/suggestion of anyone within the healthcare system displaying any fear of any chronic pain or pts dealing with chronic diseases requiring controlled substances. It would appear that the actions against the community by healthcare practitioners has no consequences.  They have no reasons to change the denial of care and discrimination against those in the community.

Imagine what could happen if a pt is told by their prescriber that they are going to experience a forced reduction in their meds.. and all similar pts in the practice will experience the same. What could happen if that first pt contacted a law firm to try to get the names of the other pts and collectively send a letter of complaint to the state medical board and the state AG… filing a complaint of civil rights discrimination, pt abandonment, pt abuse… and … on and on…  The attorney would not have to divulge the pts’ names… attorney/client privilege.  If the physician/practice is owned by a hospital system, maybe all the presribers working for the system is being forced to do the same to all similar pts.. 

successful outcome in one state, could turn into a template for pts/attorneys in other states. A dozen or two pts hiring a law firm to send out a few letters and costing a couple of hundred dollars.

Link below is a post I did a few weeks ago of other ways to “get even” and there is a link in this post to another post, be sure to read both

call their bluff with a letter from attorney ?

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CDC: Anaphylaxis Rate With COVID Vax 10 Times Greater Than for Flu Shots

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/90556

But events still rare and nonfatal, and benefits outweigh risks, officials say

While rare, the rate of anaphylaxis following COVID-19 mRNA vaccines appeared about 10 times that documented for flu shots, CDC officials said on Wednesday.

Overall, 21 cases of anaphylaxis following COVID vaccination were reported out of about 1.9 million doses given as of Dec. 23, according to an early Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report release. That amounts to 11.1 cases per million versus an estimated 1.3 cases per million following inactivated influenza vaccine, agency officials said on a call with the media.

They noted that, as of now, 29 confirmed cases of anaphylaxis are reported with the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. In addition, the officials said, the MMWR report from Dec. 14-23 focuses on the Pfizer vaccine, since the Moderna vaccine was not available until Dec. 21. Still, there is not enough data to see a difference in risk between vaccines.

No deaths from anaphylaxis have been seen to date.

Nancy Messonnier, MD, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, emphasized that these events were rare and that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweighed the risks. Moreover, comparing these to the numbers for flu “misses the point” when there are over 2,000 deaths from COVID-19 every day in the U.S.

“It’s still a good value proposition,” she said. “Even if the rate is higher than what we see after routine immunizations, anaphylaxis still remains rare.”

Of the 21 cases reviewed in MMWR, 18 had documented allergies or allergic reactions to drugs, medical products, food, or insect stings, and seven had experienced anaphylaxis in the past, including one following a rabies vaccine and one following an influenza A (H1N1) vaccine.

Messonnier acknowledged the millions of people who have allergies to food or insect stings, and stressed the difference between “someone who had a mild allergic reaction in their childhood versus someone with a severe allergic reaction next week.”

“A lot of people have some history of allergy to bee sting or food and the fact that people in this group had anaphylaxis … may not mean allergic reactions put them at higher risk, but it might,” she added.

Messonnier noted that CDC guidance indicates that anyone with a history of anaphylaxis for any reason should talk to their healthcare provider prior to vaccination and clinicians should exercise their judgment.

CDC officials said anyone with a history of anaphylaxis who gets the vaccine should be observed for 30 minutes afterwards, as people who previously had anaphylaxis are at risk of having it again.

The agency recently updated its interim guidance for clinicians about contraindications to the vaccine, adding that those with an immediate allergic reaction to the first vaccine should not receive a second dose.

Seventeen of the 21 cases were among those with a history of anaphylaxis, and median time from vaccination to symptom onset was 13 minutes, although around 70% of patients had symptom onset within 15 minutes. The median age of patients was 40, and 19 were women.

The MMWR report noted that female predominance had been seen earlier for immediate hypersensitivity reactions to influenza A (H1N1) vaccine. But the disproportion with COVID vaccination could simply be due to more women than men receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the authors said.

Nineteen patients were treated with epinephrine, 17 were treated in the emergency department, and four were hospitalized, including three in intensive care. Among 20 with available information, all were discharged home.

Also, Messonnier briefly addressed reports of healthcare workers electing not to get vaccinated, saying she was “definitely concerned” about it.

“It makes it exceedingly important that we get the correct information to healthcare workers and we quickly dispense with misinformation,” she said. “We need them not only to protect themselves, but to educate their patients so everyone understands these vaccines … have a good safety profile, they are working, and they … can help us end this pandemic.”

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Norway Warns Against Vaccinating Frail and Terminally Ill People After Reported Deaths

https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_app/norway-warns-against-vaccinating-frail-and-terminally-ill-people-after-reported-deaths_3661390.html

Officials in Norway said they are investigating the deaths of about two dozen elderly patients who received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and are looking into the prospect that adverse reactions to the vaccine “may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some frail patients.”

Reports of adverse reactions with a fatal outcome “suggest that common adverse reactions to mRNA vaccines, such as fever and nausea, may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some frail patients,” said Sigurd Hortemo, chief physician at the Norwegian Medicines Agency, in a statement on Monday.

A spokesperson for the agency told CBS News that the “patients died from their underlying disease.” Of 13 cases analyzed so far, “they are people of advanced age, are frail, and have serious illnesses, all of them,” said Camilla Stoltenberg, the director of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, according to CBS News.

“It is important to remember that on average about 45 people die every day at nursing homes in Norway, so it’s not given that this represents any excess mortality or that they are related to the vaccines,” she said.

In its update on Monday, the Norwegian Medicines Agency said that all deaths that occur within days of the vaccination will be investigated.

“We cannot rule out that adverse reactions to the vaccine occurring within the first days following vaccination (such as fever and nausea) may contribute to more serious course and fatal outcome in patients with severe underlying disease,” the statement read.

“We have now repeated our existing advice not to give the vaccine to terminally ill patients,” a spokeswoman for the agency told the Wall Street Journal.

The spokeswoman attempted to allay fears of links between the deaths and the vaccine, saying that there is no evidence the shot is unsafe.

On Jan. 14, Norwegian officials changed the country’s CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus vaccination guide and said “very frail” people should not receive the shot.

“If you are very frail, you should probably not be vaccinated,” Steinar Madsen at the Norwegian Medicines Agency told reporters last week.

As of Jan. 14, more than 42,000 people in Norway received the CCP virus vaccine. Authorities have reported 23 cases of elderly recipients suffering from serious medical conditions dying after receiving the vaccine.

Pfizer and BioNTech told news outlets on Monday that the two firms are now “working with the Norwegian Medicines Agency to gather all the relevant information” following the deaths. “Our immediate thoughts are with the bereaved families,” Pfizer said.

Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Iceland have all reported post-vaccination deaths. Fifty-five people in the United States have died post-vaccination, according to reports filed to a passive system.

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Florida Lawmakers Introduce Bills Seeking To Stop Censorship By Big Tech

https://policetribune.com/florida-lawmakers-introduce-bills-seeking-to-stop-censorship-by-big-tech/

Tallahassee, FL – The state of Florida has introduced bills that would allow the state to sue technology companies for censorship while Republican leadership is also discussing divesting from Big Tech.

Florida State Representative Randy Fine sent a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday asking that the state divest from Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Apple and Google since they suspended President Donald Trump’s social media accounts, according to Florida Today.

“Well, I think these companies get to choose who they want to do business with, so do we in the state of Florida,” Fine said on Fox News. “I don’t a like a world in which these big technology companies are seeking to literally silence the views of half of the country,”

“Those are my constituents who are using these sites,” Fine said. “And so I don’t think they should be forced to invest in companies that simply don’t want them. … When you tell half your customers to pound sand, it typically doesn’t work well for you.”

Fine and DeSantis are both Republicans.

Fine said he also will introduce legislation that would “forbid any state or local government from conducting any business with these companies,” effective July 1, according to Florida Today.

That would mean no government entity could do advertising on Facebook, Twitter or Google or use Amazon and could not purchase Apple or Android devices, according to Florida Today.

Due to the monopoly that these tech companies hold on advertising and smartphones, such action could create significant problems for the state.

Florida has also introduced legislation that would address Big Tech’s censorship of individual accounts.

Senate Bill 520 was filed Jan. 11 and would require social media websites to provide individual and business users of the site with a specified timeframe and must explain what the website has suspended or disabled that user’s account.

In December, Florida state representative Anthony Sabatini introduced House Bill 33 authorizes the state to file legal against on behalf of website users against Big Tech companies that censor content.

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What I have been watching what is reported on TV…. members of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and central American people heading for our southern borders… are already calling out our soon to be new President and VP to do what they promised… a statement by a BLM representative state that “… brown and black people got you elected… we want our demands met …”…  people coming toward our southern border are expecting our border to be OPEN the first day of President Biden’s administration.

I am sure that there are other groups that are expecting promises made to be met toward the end of this week… Many may have expectation but have not come forward and publicly stated what their expectations/demands are.

As I remember, there was a universal agreement among the democratic candidates that HEALTH CARE WAS A HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE…  why isn’t the community out there asking for that promise to be met ?

Here is a recent post about HHS HHS Loosens Reins on Buprenorphine Prescribing

Apparently those substance abusers are apparently getting easier access to a C-III medication to treat their health issues.  It is a common belief that substance abuse is a MENTAL HEALTH DISEASE… so we have a mental health crisis that is worth treating ?

Most/majority/all of chronic pain pts with under/untreated pain typically are dealing with depression, anxiety, suicidal idealization…  all mental health issues…. not to mention having to live/exist in a torturous level of pain intentionally induced – failed to treat – by their prescriber.

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HHS Loosens Reins on Buprenorphine Prescribing

https://www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/opioids/90718

WASHINGTON — X will mark the spot for physicians who will be newly able to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder under guidance announced Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The guidance, outlined in a press release, eliminates a requirement known as an “X waiver” for physicians who want to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD), as long as they meet certain requirements:

• They only treat patients located in the state in which the physician is authorized to practice

• They will be limited to treating no more than 30 patients with buprenorphine for opioid use disorder at any one time

• They cannot prescribe or dispense methadone for OUD

Physicians using the X-waiver exemption must put an “X” on the prescription, clearly state that the prescription is being written for opioid use disorder, and maintain separate charts for patients being treated for OUD, according to the release. HHS will also establish an interagency working group to monitor the implementation and results of the guidance, as well as the impact on diversion.

“Regulation stands in the way of connecting individuals suffering from substance use disorder with this lifesaving care,” Jim Carroll, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said on a phone call with reporters. “Improving the X waiver is a major action, and it’s one that has broad support.”

Currently there are numerous bills circulating on Capitol Hill that would remove the X waiver entirely, Carroll continued, adding that the legislation is supported by both Republicans and Democrats. “There is an urgent need to remove it, especially now with COVID and people being cut off,” Carroll said. In the meantime, “we took this strong action, and this will continue to reap benefits for those who need help the most.”

“There’s been an analysis of the barriers that have limited access to buprenorphine for those that need it, and one of them is there are not enough clinicians to provide the buprenorphine; there are not sufficient physicians that are waivered to provide it,” said Nora Volkow, MD, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “And yet we know from research that the healthcare system, whether it’s primary care physicians or specialists in emergency departments, can play a key role in providing this medication to patients.”

The guidelines “will make it much easier to bring buprenorphine and treatment of OUD into the healthcare system that exists through the country,” she added. “It will enable primary care physicians to provide this treatment, which research has already shown they are as able to do as specialized treatment programs.”

Asked by MedPage Today why physicians would only be allowed to treat 30 patients at a time, Adm. Brett Giroir, MD, assistant secretary for health at HHS, said that the normal X waiver process begins by letting physicians treat 30 patients, and then 100 patients, and then 250. “What we’re doing here is creating an exemption so if you have not gone through that process, we’re giving you that limit of 30 to start with.”

“We’re not at all decreasing what can be done through the traditional process; we’re allowing an exemption,” he continued. “And again, we anticipate that this is going to be primary care providers who may be in rural areas that may treat 5 or 10 people within their practice with this. If they’re going to get into the business of 40 or 50 or 80 or 100, right now we think they should go through the X waiver process with all the controls on that, but this is a first step that we’ll evaluate.”

Carroll added that “We’re encouraging more and more providers to be able to provide this; we think as their practice builds naturally, we would want them to get additional training once they start hitting that 30 folks and over.”

“This is a compromise,” said Volkow. “We’re changing a practice, and by doing it in a conservative way, we can ensure that we’re not producing harm by practices of things that we may not know. Initially the X waiver was also starting with 30, and I assume that that’s because there was experience with that; that made a reasonable, justifiable number.”

The guidance comes as deaths from drug overdoses continue to rise. “Beginning in the October-November timeframe in 2019, after a flattening of our mortality, we started to see mortality go up,” Giroir said. “We saw that overdose mortality was going up before the pandemic, but it has actually gone up significantly more since the pandemic.”

Data released Wednesday for the time period ending in June 2020 show that “our mortality has gone up over 21% from overdoses, with over 83,000 Americans dying during that period of time,” he said. “The increase of synthetic overdose mortality from synthetic opioids like fentanyl is up 44.75%. If this rate continues, we could see losses of between 85,00 and 90,000 Americans in 2020 due to overdoses.”

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Mark Cuban launches generic drug company

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/pharmacy/mark-cuban-launches-generic-drug-company.html

Billionaire investor and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban has launched a generic drug company called the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company.

The new company’s website says it is dedicated to producing low-cost versions of high-cost generic drugs and pledges to “provide radical transparency in how we price our drugs.”

The Cost Plus company will publish the costs to manufacture, distribute and market its drugs to pharmacies. It said it adds a 15 percent margin to get its wholesale prices and make sure it remains profitable, but that

there are no middlemen and no rebates for insurance companies. 

“Everybody gets the same low price for every drug we make,” the company website states. 

The first drug it will produce is albendazole, an antiparasitic drug. The company is hoping to introduce more than 100 drugs by the end of 2021, as well as build a pharmaceutical factory in Dallas by 2022. 

The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company has also partnered with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston to aid researchers in providing care for children with hookworm infection in rural Alabama.

This should be interesting, Mark Cuban is going to take on the entire insurance/PBM industry… just read the RED sentence above.  A year or so ago Lilly announced that it was going to introduce their Humulin insulin as a generic and included in the the announcement that there was not going to be any rebate/kickback/discount to the insurance/PBM industry.  In response to that announced the insurance/PBM industry replied NON COVERED ITEM.

This should be interesting as this unfolds

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As many of you know the “little boys” in Silicon Valley have shutdown reportedly a large number of people and groups on the various websites ( Face Book, Twitter and others) according to reports on TV today, have compromised the “intelligence” that law enforcement, FBI, Secret Service and other entities that are in charge of keep us safe.  Now with the inauguration coming up, law enforcement has lost their ability to monitor what some “crazy groups” were planning via these sites.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but that information does not give me any “warm fuzzy” because

before this was done by those “little boys” there was rumors of some of these “crazy groups” were going to have some sort of rallies/protests at EVERY STATE CAPITAL.

Looking at the stock market today all of these BIG TECH’S stock prices are DOWN as much as 11%.

I am getting out of this mess !

I made this post below a few days ago and will allow everyone who wishes to follow me to shift over to following my blog. I have already stopped making any new post on BIG TECH and by the end of the month will stop making comments on the posts of others .  There is a place on the front page of my blog  – right hand column – to sign up to be notified by email when I make a new post.

Some of my readers have expressed concern/dislike of me posting more about politics in place of pain issues… Whereas, there is not much new going on in regards to pain pts and the denial of care.   We are in a transition between two different administrations and a Congress that both houses have a <D> majority.  In fact, it has been stated that those in the Senate was not expecting nor prepared to become the majority.

In Congress offices and staff size is determined by which party that is in the majority and the seniority of the particular member.  Over the next couple of weeks in the Senate, there is going to be a lot of office shuffling and those who are in the majority don’t have the staffing levels that they now need. In the Senate, those 50 members have to hire new/additional staff and just about every member of the Senate is going to have to shuffle offices..   The placement and size of a Senator’s office totally depends on who is in majority and how much seniority that particular Senator has.

As soon as all the dust settles, they will get back to fighting the war on drugs/pts.  A few weeks ago Eliz Warren and 4 of her colleagues released a press release that they were going to introduce a bill that will interfere with chronic pain pts getting their pain meds.   Of course, if that bill get signed into law … it will be in direct conflict with the ADA and Civil Rights law on discrimination of disabled… Also, as I remember all of the <D> candidates running for President agreed that HEALTHCARE IS A HUMAN RIGHT…  So is denial of pain management part of “healthcare is a human right” ?

I hate to remind everyone, chronic pain management and politics are attached at the hip.  How many in the community are suffering, bed/chair/house confined or died/committed suicide because of the unintended consequences of politicians/bureaucrats and their decisions about ending the war on pts/drugs ?

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