Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Cities Feeling Financial Squeeze Of Naloxone As They Try To Rein In High Overdose Rates
The Associated Press: In Opioid Epidemic, Some Cities Strain To Afford OD Antidote
An overdose-reversal drug is a critical tool to easing America's coast-to-coast opioid epidemic. But not everyone on the front lines has all they need. Baltimore's health department is rationing its supplies of naloxone because it says it can't afford an adequate stockpile. City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen says they are forced to make hard decisions weekly about who gets the life-saving drug. (McFadden, 4/12)
The Hill: Poll: More Americans View Opioid Addiction As Serious Problem
More Americans see opioid addiction as a significant issue in their communities than did two years ago, according to a new poll. Forty-three percent of Americans say the use of prescription pain drugs is an extremely or very serious problem in their communities, up from 33 percent two years ago, according to an Associated Press-NORC poll released Wednesday. (Hellmann, 4/11)
CQ: House And Senate Panels Plan To Act Soon On Opioids Bills
The Senate health panel plans to approve legislation to curb the opioid addiction crisis in less than two weeks, Chairman Lamar Alexander said Wednesday. “Our intention is to mark up the bill and report legislation to the full Senate by the end of the month,” said the Tennessee Republican, identifying April 24 as the target date. The remarks came during the seventh hearing that the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee convened since October on the opioid crisis. (Raman, 4/11)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Stopping Long-Term Opioid Therapy Has No Effect On Pain Levels: Study
Patients taking opioids to manage their pain reported no change in their level of pain after discontinuing long-term opioid use, according to a new study that will be presented at the Society of Behavioral Medicine's annual conference in New Orleans on Thursday (April 11). Researchers examined the electronic health records of 600 patients in a national database maintained by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for a year. They found that patients on average experienced no difference in pain after stopping long-term use of opioid to help manage their pain. (Clark, 4/11)
The Associated Press: Kentucky School Wins $150K For Device That Picks Up Needles
A Kentucky middle school has won a nationwide competition for creating a device that can safely pick up used needles and other drug paraphernalia. News outlets report Ashland Middle School won $150,000 Wednesday from Samsung. The hand-held device looks like a plastic box with flexible teeth that first responders and others can use to avoid touching needles. (4/11)
The CT Mirror: CT Opioid Lawsuits Advancing In Face Of Settlement Effort
Nearly two dozen Connecticut cities and towns are scheduled to soon confront Purdue Phama and other opioid makers in court over what they say are the pharmaceuticals’ deceptive practices. Meanwhile, a federal judge in Ohio is trying to resolve through a massive settlement more than 400 federal lawsuits brought by cities, counties and Native American tribes against central figures in the national opioid tragedy. (Radelat, 4/12)
Kaiser Health News: Medical Marijuana’s ‘Catch-22’: Fed Limits On Research Hinder Patients’ Relief
By the time Ann Marie Owen turned to marijuana to treat her pain, she was struggling to walk and talk. She also hallucinated. For four years, her doctor prescribed the 61-year-old a wide range of opioids for her transverse myelitis, a debilitating disease that caused pain, muscle weakness and paralysis.The drugs not only failed to ease her symptoms, they hooked her. (Taylor and Bailey, 4/12)
