Trending News Today: High-Dose Opioid Use Continues to Rise in the United States

Two new studies demonstrated the efficacy of an alternative treatment regimen for latent tuberculosis, STAT reported. The studies, which were conducted across multiple countries, showed that 4 months of therapy with rifampin is as effective as standard of care, according to the article. One study compared the effectiveness of rifampin in adults and collected comparative data on safety and patient adherence to the regimen, while the second study examined safety in children and gathered data on efficacy and adherence.

A new study has found that use of prescription opioids remains high in the United States, with dosages continuing to rise among adults, Reuters reported. According to the article, the researchers analyzed a national database of medical and pharmacy claims to examine trends in opioid use among 48 million individuals with health insurance between 2007 and 2016. The findings showed that although the proportion of adults being prescribed opioids has changed, dosages have increased and are especially high among patients with permanent disability.

Four cases of Ebola virus have been confirmed in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Reuters reported. According to the article, the health ministry announced that 20 deaths from hemorrhagic fever have also been recorded in the area. The outbreak in northwestern Congo was declared over the last week and the ministry has stated that there is no evidence suggesting a link between the latest cases and the outbreak, the article reported.