Judge Overseeing Hundreds Of Lawsuits Against Opioid Makers Implores Sides To Work Together
“What we’ve got to do is dramatically reduce the number of pills that are out there, and make sure that the pills that are out there are being used properly,” Judge Dan Polster said. In other opioid news: Native American tribes sue manufacturers over their role in the crisis, doctors start to shift from zero-pain goals for patients, officials in Philadelphia mull safe-injection sites, and more.
The Associated Press:
Judge Urges Action On ‘100 Percent Manmade’ Opioid Crisis
A federal judge on Tuesday set a goal of doing something about the nation’s opioid epidemic this year, while noting the drug crisis is “100 percent man-made.” Judge Dan Polster urged participants on all sides of lawsuits against drugmakers and distributors to work toward a common goal of reducing overdose deaths. He said the issue has come to courts because “other branches of government have punted” it. (Welsh-Huggins, 1/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
Federal Judge Seeks Speedy Resolution Of Opioid Lawsuits
“I don’t think anyone in the country is interested in a whole lot of finger pointing at this point, and I’m not either,” U.S. District Judge Dan Polster said Tuesday at the first gathering, in a Cleveland courtroom that was packed, of lawyers involved in the sprawling opioid litigation. Judge Polster is overseeing the consolidation of more than 200 cases filed in federal court by local governments, hospitals and other parties, all seeking to recoup the costs of opioid addiction from the manufacturers and distributors of the painkillers. (Randazzo, 1/9)
The Associated Press:
3 Native American Tribes Sue Opioid Industry Groups
Three Native American tribes in the Dakotas are suing opioid manufacturers and distributors, alleging they concealed and minimized the addiction risk of prescription drugs. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe and the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate sued 24 opioid industry groups in federal court on Monday. Defendants include drug manufacturers Purdue Pharma, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Allergan, and distributors McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Corp. (1/9)
The Star Tribune:
Upper Midwest Tribes File Suit Over Opioid Crisis
Indian tribes in Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas are suing opioid manufacturers and distributors over the epidemic of addiction and overdoses that racks their reservations. Three North and South Dakota tribes filed suit in federal court Monday against two dozen companies. Minnesota’s Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe filed a similar suit in December, the same month the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin filed suit against the industries they accuse of minimizing nationwide abuse of prescription narcotics. (Brooks, 1/9)
NPR:
Opioid Addiction Can Start With Expectations Of Pain-Free Hospital Stays
Doctors at some of the country's largest hospital chains admit they went overboard with opioids to make people as pain-free as possible. Now the doctors shoulder part of the blame for the country's opioid crisis. In an effort to be part of the cure, they've begun to issue an uncomfortable warning to patients: You're going to feel some pain. (Farmer, 1/9)
NPR:
Opioid Crisis Leads Philadelphia To Consider 'Safe Injection' Sites
Top Philadelphia officials are advocating that the city become the first in the U.S. to open a supervised injection site, where people suffering from heroin or opioid addiction could use the drugs under medical supervision. But the controversial proposal aimed at addressing the city's deadly drug crisis must first overcome resistance from top city police officials, community residents and the federal government. (Allyn, 1/10)
Boston Globe:
Kraft-Funded Van Will Bring Addiction Services To City Streets
Another prominent Boston-area business leader is stepping up to address the state’s opioid crisis. The Kraft Center for Community Health at Massachusetts General Hospital — funded by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his family’s charitable foundation — on Tuesday rolled out a specially equipped mobile van, dubbed CareZone, to bring health services to Boston residents who are struggling with addiction. The van will rotate between two locations in the city, one in the Dudley Square area and the other close to North Station. (Chesto, 1/9)
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Cuyahoga County To Seek Renewal Of Health And Human Services Tax
Last November voters in a dozen Ohio counties agreed to pay more taxes for children's services and health and human services to fight the fallout from the opioid epidemic. (Farkas, 1/9)
Meanwhile, in Kentucky the HIV rate has jumped —
The Wall Street Journal:
Jump In HIV Cases Among Drug Users Seen In Northern Kentucky
Public-health officials in northern Kentucky are investigating a jump in HIV cases among people who inject drugs, the region’s health department said Tuesday. The region, which includes four counties, recorded 37 new cases of HIV in 2017, up 48% from 25 cases in 2016, according to the Northern Kentucky Health Department. (Whalen and Campo-Flores, 1/9)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
What's The Root Of HIV Cluster In 2 NKY Counties? CDC's On The Case
An "alarming" 50 percent surge in new HIV cases in Northern Kentucky in 2017 came with a huge rise in infections among injection drug users in Kenton and Campbell counties. Neither county has a needle exchange, and health officials Tuesday made a renewed call to action for those counties and the cities within them to approve exchanges to stop the spread of the virus that can cause AIDS. (DeMio, 1/9)
