Biden, Xi To Announce Deal For China Crackdown On Fentanyl Trade
The production and export of fentanyl is expected to be one of the discussion items for President Joe Biden and China's leader Xi Jinping when they meet in San Francisco — a city hard-hit by the opioid epidemic. Bloomberg reports a deal is being finalized for China to crack down on chemical companies making the drugs.
Bloomberg:
Biden, Xi To Announce Deal For China Fentanyl Crackdown At APEC In San Francisco
Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, are set to announce an agreement that would see Beijing crack down on the manufacture and export of fentanyl, according to people familiar with the matter, potentially delivering the US president a major victory. Under the deal — which is still being finalized — China would go after chemical companies to stem the flow of both fentanyl and the source material used to make the deadly synthetic opioid, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the agreement. (Leonard, 11/14)
Reuters:
Biden, Xi To Talk Fentanyl In City Gripped By Opioid Crisis
Just blocks from where U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will meet other Asia-Pacific leaders this week in San Francisco is a neighborhood where it is commonplace to see people using and selling drugs. While the leaders are unlikely to see the blunt reality of the U.S. opioid crisis as they attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, it will be a topic of discussion when Biden and Xi meet one-on-one on Wednesday. (Henderson, Tong and Hunnicutt, 11/15)
In other news about the opioid crisis —
Axios:
New Opioid Research Center In Little Rock Aims For National Impact
Arkansas Children's Hospital System last week announced plans to build a first-of-its-kind research center geared toward opioid effects in infants and children. Why it matters: Infants are being born addicted to drugs and young children are dying of opioid poisoning, hospital officials said. (Golden, 11/15)
Reuters:
Drugmaker Mallinckrodt Emerges From Bankruptcy
Drugmaker Mallinckrodt, one of America’s biggest producers of prescription opioids, said on Tuesday it has emerged from bankruptcy and reduced its total funded debt by about $1.9 billion. Mallinckrodt, which won court approval for its bankruptcy plan last month, said it is moving ahead with ample liquidity to execute its strategic priorities. (11/14)
Reuters:
Optum, Express Scripts Lose Bid To Oust Opioid Special Master Over Reply-All Email
Pharmacy benefit managers OptumRx and Express Scripts have lost a bid to disqualify a long-serving special master in national opioid litigation from working on cases against them on the basis of an email he accidentally sent to their attorneys. A three-judge panel of the Cincinnati, Ohio-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the pharmacy benefit managers' claim that the email, in which Special Master David Cohen wrote that the companies "knew a lot" about illicit opioid prescriptions, revealed bias. (Pierson, 11/14)
KFF Health News:
Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
This week on the KFF Health News Minute: More than 10 million Americans have lost health care coverage as states purge their Medicaid rolls, and addiction treatment services compete with law enforcement for opioid settlement dollars. (11/14)
