Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A National Registry Is Needed To Identify Babies Who Have Been Affected By Opioid Crisis, Lawyers Argue
The Associated Press: Opioid-Dependent Kids' Guardians Seek To Form Class In Suit
Guardians caring for hundreds of thousands of children born dependent on opioids since 2000 should be grouped together as part of the class action lawsuit filed by local governments and others against the manufacturers, distributors and sellers of prescription pain medication, lawyers argued in a motion filed in federal court in Cleveland. (Gillispie, 1/10)
Politico Pro: FDA Defends Opioids For Chronic Pain Ahead Of Advisory Committee
Opioids have a role in treating chronic pain despite the country's struggle with misuse of the drugs when prescribed for this purpose, FDA said Friday in documents prepared for an advisory committee meeting to consider a new drug targeted for long-term back pain. The agency's Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products and Drug Safety and Risk Management advisory committees will debate an application Tuesday for Nektar Therapetuics' oxycodegol. (Karlin-Smith, 1/10)
The Baltimore Sun: Up To A Third Of Opioid Overdose Deaths Might Be Suicides, Johns Hopkins Researcher Concludes
Tens of thousands of people fatally overdose each year on opioids and other drugs. Sometimes medical examiners label them accidents, and sometimes they don’t know what to call them. But where humans waver, a computer program using a kind of artificial intelligence finds that many are likely suicides — possibly a third of them, according to a study by a Johns Hopkins School of Medicine researcher who partnered with a Utah high school student. (Cohn, 1/10)
NH Times Union: 2019 OD Deaths: Nashua, Manchester Buck NH's Downward Trend
For two years in a row, New Hampshire has seen a decrease in drug overdose deaths. But many officials say there is still a long way to go to address the epidemic. The state anticipates a total of 364 drug deaths in 2019 — 107 fewer than the 471 deaths in 2018, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. ... Contrary to the statewide statistics, opioid overdose deaths increased in Manchester and Nashua after 20% decreases in 2018, according to data from American Medical Response (AMR), an ambulance service used by both cities. (Phelps, 1/12)
NPR: Kratom's Benefits And Dangers Debated Amid Marketing Push
Americans know the dangers of drugs such as morphine and heroin. But what about a supplement that acts in the brain a bit like an opiate and is available in many places to kids — even from vending machines. Kratom, an herb that's abundant, legal in most states and potentially dangerous, is the subject of an ongoing debate over its risks and benefits. (McClurg, 1/13)
