Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
At-Home Detox Often Fails Without Medical Support
NPR: Detoxing From Opiods Without Medical Support Often Fails
By the time Elvis Rosado was 25, he was addicted to opioids and serving time in jail for selling drugs to support his habit. "I was like, 'I have to kick this, I have to break this,' " he says. For Rosado, who lives in Philadelphia, drugs had become a way to disassociate from "the reality that was life." He'd wake up physically needing the drugs to function. (Gordon, 7/3)
Stat: As New And Lethal Opioids Flood U.S. Streets, Crime Labs Race To Identify Them
The yellow pills had already killed four before landing in Brian Hargett’s lab last month. They were clearly counterfeit — the letters P-E-R-C-O-C-E-T were as crooked as the dealer who had peddled them throughout central Georgia — but now his chemists had to figure out exactly what they were. And fast. Lives were still at stake; health officials wanted to alert the public about the phony pills. First, though, they had to know what was in them. (Blau, 7/5)
The Washington Post: Drugmakers And Distributors Face Barrage Of Lawsuits Over Opioid Epidemic
The companies that manufacture and distribute highly addictive painkillers are facing a barrage of lawsuits for the toll their product has taken on communities across the country as the worst drug epidemic in U.S. history continues to escalate. Within the past year, at least 25 states, cities and counties have filed civil cases against manufacturers, distributors and large drugstore chains that make up the $13 billion-a-year opioid industry. (Higham and Bernstein, 7/4)
NPR: Opioid Exposure In The Womb Doesn't Mean Babies Are Addicted
Among the troubling developments of the nation's opioid crisis: a large number of babies born prenatally exposed to opioids. On a recent reporting trip, we visited Trinity Hospital in Steubenville, Ohio, where according to the acting CEO, 1 in 5 babies are born with prenatal opioid exposure. Other hospitals report as many as 1 in 8 newborns exposed to opioids in the womb. (Siegel and Cheung, 6/30)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Overdose Just By Touching Fentanyl? Highly Unlikely, Experts Say
Experts agree that the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl and its even deadlier relatives pose potential hazards to police and emergency responders who come in contact with the drugs. But there is also concern that the risks are being overblown, potentially creating unnecessary stress for emergency workers. (McCullough, 6/30)
In news on the health epidemic from Georgia, Ohio, Maryland and Florida —
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Board Regulates Synthetic Opioid Analogue Not Covered In Georgia Law
A dangerous form of a synthetic opioid can now be legally seized by police, thanks to a new “emergency rule” passed last week, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Monday. The drug, tetrahydrofuran fentanyl, is an analogue of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, and can be absorbed through the skin, according to the GBI. (Capelouto, 7/3)
Columbus Dispatch: Federal Rules Keep Lid On Number Of Drug Treatment Beds
Because the for-profit center in Whitehall accepts Medicaid — making its services available to low-income central Ohioans — Braking Point also must abide by an obscure, 50-year-old federal rule that says community-based mental-health and addiction treatment centers can’t receive Medicaid funding if they have more than 16 beds. ... Today, critics who want the 16-bed rule lifted — including some lawmakers — say it’s an obstacle to care in the midst of an opioid epidemic that saw at least 4,100 Ohioans die by unintentional overdose last year. (Price, 7/2)
The Associated Press: Maryland Rolling Out 2 Initiatives To Fight Opioid Addiction
The Maryland Medicaid Program is rolling out two initiatives aimed at fighting the opioid crisis. The initiatives officially start on Saturday. The state is reforming policies to curb opioid prescribing in the Medicaid program. It’s encouraging health-care providers to consider non-opioids as first-line treatment of patients with chronic pain. It’s also urging providers to conduct thorough screening before prescribing opioids and to refer patients to treatment when they have a substance abuse disorder. (7/1)
Tampa Bay Times: As Florida's Opioid Crisis Worsens, What Are State Officials Doing?
It's a cruel reversal of fortunes for Florida, which from 2010 to 2013 witnessed the steady decline of opioid deaths as the state closed "pill mills" — pain clinics that recklessly handed out drug prescriptions. After the crackdown, those addicted to the shrinking supply of prescription painkillers searched for alternatives. (Auslen, 6/30)
