Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Look At Defense Tactics Expected In Opioid Case: No Evidence Shows Drugmakers--Not Criminal Cartels--Caused Crisis
The Washington Post: Opioid Makers Say There’s No Proof They Are Responsible For The Epidemic’s Harms
Major opioid manufacturers have asked a judge to throw out the first test case of whether they must pay for the nation’s drug crisis, arguing that two Ohio counties cannot prove the drug companies’ actions were responsible for overdose deaths or other harms, newly unsealed court documents show. Lawyers for Purdue Pharma, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals and other drug companies contend that Cuyahoga and Summit counties cannot sufficiently connect the tens of billions of legal painkillers the companies produced to fatalities and addiction. Nor can the counties show that drug company sales calls caused doctors to overprescribe the medications, they said. (Bernstein and Zezima, 7/24)
The Associated Press: No Obligation To The Public, Opioid Distributor Tells Lawyer
An executive at one of the nation’s largest drug distribution companies said under questioning recently that the business has no obligation to the public when it comes to the amount of prescription opioid painkillers it ships. That’s one of the exchanges included in thousands of pages of court documents, including depositions and internal emails, made public this week in lawsuits brought against the pharmaceutical industry over the nation’s deadly opioid crisis. (Hoyer and Mulvihill, 7/24)
The Associated Press: As The Nation's Opioid Crisis Grew, The Pills Got Stronger
In 2012, as the death toll from the nation's opioid crisis mounted, drug companies shipped out enough of the powerful and addictive painkillers for every man, woman and child in the U.S. to have nearly a 20-day supply. In some counties, mostly in Appalachia, it was well over 100 days.An Associated Press analysis of drug distribution data released as a result of lawsuits against the industry also found that the amount of opioids as measured by total potency continued to rise early this decade even as the number of pills distributed began to dip. (7/24)
The Washington Post: Opioids In Appalachia: Addiction And Recovery In Painkiller Epidemic
At her very worst, Amber Wood was so desperate for the opioid high she had a dentist pull a tooth — and not even a particularly bad tooth, just one of those molars she didn’t think she’d need as much as she needed a pill. The dentist, she said, gave her a prescription for the opioid painkiller Lortab. She’d been abusing drugs since the age of 13. “None of us said when we went to pre-K, ‘You know what I want to be when I grow up? I want to be a drug addict.’ Nobody thought that. (Achenbach, Koh, Bennett and Mara, 7/24)
News comes out of Massachusetts and Missouri as well —
Boston Globe: Andover Pharmacy Under Investigation For Opioid Dispensing
Attorney General Maura Healey is investigating whether an Andover pharmacy that specializes in workers compensation patients properly dispensed controlled substances, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. The Injured Workers Pharmacy, a national mail-order pharmacy, was recently revealed to be the largest recipient of opioid pills in Massachusetts during 2006 to 2012, in data from the Drug Enforcement Administration. (Freyer, 7/24)
St. Louis Public Radio: Wash U Clinic Offers Expectant Moms With Addiction Drug Treatment, Prenatal Care
The CARE clinic is open half a day each week and is open to all people, insured or not. In addition to prenatal care from high-risk obstetricians, pregnant people receive mental health treatment from psychiatrists and addiction counselors. Most of the women at the clinic receive medication-based treatment such as methadone and buprenorphine, which helps prevent cravings and reduce withdrawal symptoms. (Fentem, 7/25)
