J&J-Janssen Opioid Settlement Sends $99 Million To West Virginia

AP: J&J's Janssen Settles With WVa For $99M In Opioid Lawsuit
West Virginia will receive $99 million in a settlement finalized Monday with Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. over the drugmaker’s role in perpetuating the opioid crisis in the state that has long led the nation in drug overdose deaths. State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said during a news briefing that he believes West Virginia’s settlement is the largest in the country per capita with Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen, which has faced opioid litigation in dozens of communities throughout the U.S. (Willingham, 4/18)

In more legal news about opioid use —

CNN: William Husel: Jury Deadlocked In Murder Trial Of Ohio Doctor Accused Of Overprescribing Fentanyl To The Dying 
Jurors in Ohio said Monday they are at an impasse and cannot reach a unanimous verdict in the murder trial of William Husel, the doctor accused of overprescribing the powerful opioid fentanyl to his critically ill patients and hastening their deaths. Franklin County Judge Michael Holbrook instructed the jurors to continue their deliberations, which began April 12. ... After several more hours of deliberations, the jury sent a note to the court asking for additional guidance on the definition of “reasonable doubt.” The judge directed them to the definition in the jury instructions without providing further context. The jury did not reach a verdict Monday and will return Tuesday at 9 a.m. to begin their fifth day of deliberations. (Levenson, Casarez and Vitagliano, 4/18)

NBC News: Dealer Sentenced To Almost 11 Years In Rapper Mac Miller's Overdose Death
An Arizona man who helped supply the counterfeit oxycodone drugs that led to the overdose death of rapper Mac Miller was sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison Monday, federal prosecutors said. Ryan Reavis, 38, is one of three men charged in Miller’s death in the Studio City section of Los Angeles in 2018. (Helsel and Blankstein, 4/18)

In other news from across the U.S. —

AP: Pennsylvania Health Department To Get New Acting Secretary 
Pennsylvania’s acting health secretary is leaving the job and Gov. Tom Wolf said Monday his physician general will take over leadership of the department. Wolf said Keara Klinepeter’s last day is Friday. He plans to name Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson to succeed her as acting health secretary. Klinepeter has been acting secretary since her predecessor, Alison Beam, left at the end of 2021.Klinepeter has been deeply involved in the government’s handling of COVID-19, including as special advisor to the secretary and executive deputy secretary. (4/18)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Saint-Gobain Will Bring Drinking Water To N.H. Homes Affected By PFAS Contamination 
Saint-Gobain has agreed to permanently provide safe drinking water for about 1,000 properties testing above state limits for PFAS chemicals, after the contamination was attributed to air emissions from the company’s facility in Merrimack. The properties covered by the agreement have up to this point been offered bottled water by Saint-Gobain, some households since 2020, said Mike Wimsatt, director of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services’ waste management division. “People are frustrated. You know, they want to have safe, clean water for them and their families,” he said. “Nobody likes carting bottled water or having to have bottled water delivered to their home. They’d much rather have a permanent solution where they can draw water from their tap to consume.” (Hoplamazian, 4/18)

WUFT: Two UF Students Are Working To End Their Rare Disease, Friedreich’s Ataxia 
Christian Maugee, 22, and Shandra Trantham, 24, dreamed of finding a cure for the neuromuscular disorder Friedreich’s Ataxia, or FA, since they found out they were diagnosed. Maugee and Trantham both have the disease that affects one in 50,000 people in the United States. According to Johns Hopkins HealthCare, symptoms begin showing between ages 5 and 15. The disease causes muscle weakness and a loss of balance and coordination. FA causes many challenges for Maugee. The disease doesn’t change his mental capacities, but his body struggles to follow physical commands and complete daily tasks, and he has had issues with seeing contrast colors in his vision. (Carson, 4/18)

Health News Florida: Tampa OB-GYN Says The New Florida Abortion Law Brings Negative Consequences 
Many physicians are among those critics raising alarms about a bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that bans most abortions after 15 weeks. One is Dr. Robin Schickler, an OB-GYN in Tampa. She says there’s a lot of misinformation surrounding abortion. One thing she says many people don’t understand is that if a person is ending their pregnancy past the 15 week mark, there’s a reason. “Whether they were afraid to tell someone, they just didn’t know, or there’s something wrong with the pregnancy. And so these are really important cases that need to be done and they’re not going to be able to get the care," Schickler told WFSU. (4/18)

Oklahoman: Oklahoma School District To Keep Bathroom Policy For Trans Students
Still under pressure from certain state officials, the Stillwater Board of Education asked the state on Monday to issue emergency rules governing school bathroom policies for transgender students. The school board said it would continue with Stillwater Public Schools’ protocol allowing students to use the bathroom that agrees with their gender identity unless the district is forced to do otherwise. The district said it has not received any reports of behavioral concerns as a result of the policy since it was enacted in 2015. (Martinez-Keel, 4/18)