Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Some Louisiana inmates struggling with opioid addictions may soon find themselves sporting addiction fighting implants that haven't yet been approved by federal regulators.
The Advocate reports prison officials announced the pilot program last week and the first implant was inserted Wednesday. Officials say the surgical implant releases the opioid and alcohol addiction fighting drug naltrexone and is slowly metabolized by the body over several months.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of naltrexone as daily pills and monthly shots. The program is a product of the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections and California health care company BioCorRx, which makes the implant. BioCorRx offered the correction's department 10 free implants, and corrections officials say they will be used on volunteers.
___
Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
