Latest news with #Buvidal
Scottish Sun
22-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Scots anti-drugs charity accepts cash from pharma giant that makes METHADONE
The pharma firms sponsored a job role that was advertised Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A ROW has erupted after it emerged one of Scotland's most prominent anti-drugs charities is taking cash from a firm making methadone. Taxpayer-funded quango the Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) have been at the forefront of calls for harm reduction methods to solve Scotland's shameful addiction and drug deaths crisis. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 The charity receives cash from firms making Methadone - a heroin substitute Credit: Alamy 4 The Scottish Drugs Forum has been pushing for harm reduction methods to get people off drugs - which include Methadone Credit: Alamy 4 Annemarie Ward, of FAVOR UK (Faces & Voices of Recovery UK), accused the quango of having a "dangerous conflict on interest" Credit: Michael Schofield Such methods include addicts being given methadone - a heroin substitute - which opponents say does nothing to get people real help and recovery and just traps a person in addiction. But it has since emerged the SDF is getting financial backing from two firms producing the drug substitutes at the centre of harm reduction tactics. The charity is getting financial backing by big Pharma firms Ethypharm and Camurus, the Mail on Sunday revealed. Among the several drugs produced by Ethypharm is methoadone, which is given put by the NHS for opioid addiction. While Camurus makes a slow-release heroin substitute called Buvidal, which lasts for up to 28 days. The pharma firms sponsored a job role that was advertised at the SDF. The quango was hiring a content creator and editor to help create their "a peer-led, harm reduction-focused magazine created by and for people who use drugs." It was advertised last year with a salary range of £40,937 to £44,699. But the job role said the whole harm-reduction magazine project is only able to happen because of cash given by the pharmaceutical companies. The advert read: "This new project has been made possible thanks to unrestricted educational grants from Ethypharm and Camurus." Drug fix rooms could be rolled out across Scotland before end of controversial Glasgow pilot The charity has now been accused of having a "dangerous conflict of interest" by taking cash from firms producing the drugs. Veteran drug campaigner Annemarie Ward, who has been leading calls for abstinence-based recovery through her charity FAVOR UK, said: "These companies make their money from the very medications this magazine business model depends on maintaining — not solving — mass dependency. "This is a glaring and dangerous conflict of interest." Methadone has been floated as an answer to solving the drugs crisis for years, yet it has continued to claim lives. In the past five years it has proven responsible for 2,898 fatal overdoses. Scottish Tories shadow drugs minister Annie Wells added: "The source of this quango's funding gives rise to legitimate questions over its advice to the SNP government on drugs policy." The CEO of the Scottish Drugs Forum, Kirsten Horsburgh, said: "Scottish Drugs Forum is open and transparent about all sources of funding. "The vast majority of our funding comes from public bodies. "On occasion, we have received a small percentage of project-specific, unrestricted educational grants from pharmaceutical companies. "This is always under strict conditions that ensure complete independence over the work undertaken, with no influence on its content, conclusions or public messaging."
BBC News
04-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Former Birmingham drug addict helping others on road to recovery
For nearly three decades Keeley Knowles' life consisted of shoplifting thousands of pounds worth of goods to fuel her heroin known as "Birmingham's most profile shoplifter", Ms Knowles had been to jail 28 times but is now 18 months clean and on a mission to give addicts hope."I have no doubt in my mind that I would have died," she said. "I thought I was unfixable."Her saving grace, she explained, was West Midlands Police's Offending to Recovery programme. She now works alongside the programme, doing outreach work with drug users and gives talks on the opioid treatment drug Buvidal. "Every day would roll into one, I would get up with a shop in mind and target it," said Ms Knowles, now 42. "Once I'd spent the day doing that I'd sell what I stole, score and spend all night doing drugs until the next morning and do it all over again." 'Don't write yourself off' The Offending 2 Recovery programme started work in 2018 in Erdington, Birmingham, in response to research that revealed addiction to drugs drove as much as 50% of all acquisitive crime in the findings also estimated 70% of shop theft was committed by people struggling with addiction to heroin and crack cocaine. The programme offers a free, tailored support service focused on treating addiction to break the link between crime. It is funded by local authorities, businesses and the West Midlands police and crime project is being expanded into Coventry, Dudley, Walsall and Ch Insp Katy Chapman, from West Midlands Police, said the programme has already received a positive reception in Coventry."We're six months in and seeing the great impact with businesses being able to refer people directly to the scheme," she said. "It builds confidence with our communities ...we want to look for other solutions in order to deter people from doing these crimes and turning them around so they don't continue to offend."Back in Birmingham, Ms Knowles continues to tell her story to show others it is not too late."I was seen as unfixable, too far gone but they don't look at you like that."I recently won the National Business crime solutions award and I've reconnected with my family, I'm now able to be an aunty."I thought no-one could help me but they did, so don't write yourself off," she said. If you, or someone you know, have been affected by any of the issues in this story you can find help and support via BBC Action Line. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
