Each week, we identify one top search term, speculate as to what caused its popularity, and provide an infographic on a related condition. If you have thoughts about what's trending and why, feel free to share them with us on Twitter or Facebook!
Clinical Trend of the Week (November 26 – December 2): Pink Drug
An "imminent threat" to public health and safety resulted in this week's top search term. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) temporarily classified U-47700, a synthetic opioid known as "Pink," as a Schedule I substance effectively immediately. The abuse of the drug mirrors that of heroin, prescription drugs, and other novel opioids. The drug has been found in powder and tablet forms and may be encountered as a single substance or in combination with other drugs, such as heroin and fentanyl. The drug will be designated Schedule I for 24 months, with a possible 12-month extension, as the DEA considers the data. Physicians will no doubt also be keeping their eye on yet another substance that adds to the ongoing issues involving opioid abuse.
For more information on opioid abuse, read here.
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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Ryan Syrek. Clinical Trends for November 2016 - Medscape - Nov 04, 2016.
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