USA Today (9/24, Rodriguez) reports the FDA is requiring a “Boxed Warning” on all benzodiazepine products, which include Xanax (alprazolam) and Valium (diazepam), the agency announced Wednesday. These products must now include “warning labels that spell out the risks of abuse, misuse, addiction, physical dependence and withdrawal.” The agency, “in addition to the warning label…is also requiring changes to prescribing information on all products and existing patient Medication Guides.”

Medscape (9/24, Brooks, Subscription Publication) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “FDA requires stronger warning label for Xanax, Valium and other similar benzodiazepine drugs “Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, September 24, 2020

TIME (9/24, Kluger) reports the COVID-19 pandemic “has been devastating to mental health, and in many cases, the most vulnerable group is women.” Researchers at the non-profit international aid organization CARE “found that while almost nobody is spared from the anxiety, worry and overall emotional fatigue of the coronavirus pandemic, women are almost three times as likely as men to report suffering from significant mental health consequences (27% compared to 10%), including anxiety, loss of appetite, inability to sleep and trouble completing everyday tasks.

Related Links:

— “The Coronavirus Pandemic’s Outsized Effect on Women’s Mental Health Around the World “Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, September 24, 2020

Healio (9/24, Gramigna) reports, “Scheduling a mental health outpatient appointment following psychiatric discharge increased the odds of successful transition from hospital to community-based care,” investigators concluded in a study that “analyzed data of 15,520 inpatient psychiatric discharges included in the 2012 to 2013 New York State Medicaid and other administrative databases.” The findings were published online Sept. 15 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Scheduling mental health outpatient appointment beneficial following psychiatric discharge “Joe Gramigna, Healio, September 24, 2020

According to MedPage Today (9/23, George), on Sept. 23, the FDA announced that “benzodiazepines will be required to have class-wide labeling changes to include warnings about risks of abuse, misuse, addiction, physical dependence, and withdrawal reactions.” These “updates will be made to the boxed warning benzodiazepines already carry that cautions about risks associated with using the” medications “concurrently with certain opioids.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

CNN (9/23, LaMotte) reports maternal use of cannabis during pregnancy “may increase psychotic-like behaviors in children.” Investigators arrived at this conclusion after analyzing “data on 11,489 children who were followed as part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development” study, then evaluating “the children’s cognitive and behavior patterns…in middle childhood, around age nine.”

MedPage Today (9/23, D’Ambrosio) reports, “Compared to unexposed children, kids who had an in utero exposure to marijuana were more likely to develop a range of adverse outcomes in childhood, including psychopathology, reduced cognition, and lower brain volume,” the study revealed. What’s more, offspring “exposed after their mothers learned they were pregnant were at a significant risk of psychotic-like experiences, impulsivity and attention issues, and social challenges, the” researchers concluded. The findings were published online Sept. 23 in JAMA Psychiatry.

HealthDay (9/23, Thompson) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Using weed during pregnancy linked to psychotic-like behaviors in children, study finds “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, September 23, 2020