Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
21 Million Painkillers For A Town Of 3,200: What Was Going On?
The Washington Post: Opioid Epidemic: Tiny West Virginia Was Town Flooded With Millions Of Painkillers, Congressmen Say
Over the past decade, nearly 21 million prescription painkillers have been shipped to a tiny town in West Virginia, a state where more people have overdosed on opioids and died than in any other in the nation. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has been investigating the opioid epidemic, revealed that 20.8 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills have been delivered to Williamson, W.Va., a town with a community college, a rail yard — and fewer than 3,200 residents, according to the most recent Census figures. (Bever, 1/31)
Charleston Gazette-Mail: Drug Firms Shipped 20.8M Pain Pills To WV Town With 2,900 People
The House Energy and Commerce Committee cited the massive shipments of hydrocodone and oxycodone — two powerful painkillers — to the town of Williamson, in Mingo County, amid the panel’s inquiry into the role of drug distributors in the opioid epidemic. “These numbers are outrageous, and we will get to the bottom of how this destruction was able to be unleashed across West Virginia,” said committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., and ranking member Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., in a joint statement. (1/29)
In other news on the crisis —
The Hill: Senate Dems Press Watchdog Group To Investigate Trump's Strategy On Opioid Epidemic
A group of Senate Democrats is pressing a congressional watchdog to investigate President Trump’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. Led by Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the Democrats asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review actions taken by the Trump administration to reduce the number of opioid deaths, as well as any steps taken to minimize the effect of opioids on American communities. (Weixel, 1/31)
