Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Defendants Object To Massive Volume Of Documents In Upcoming Landmark Federal Opioid Case
The Washington Post: Ohio Counties, Drug Companies Outline Arguments In Landmark Opioid Trial
With jury selection in a landmark opioid trial just three weeks away, lawyers for two Ohio counties said Wednesday they would prove that opioid manufacturers and distributors harmed public health and safety, and demanded they be held accountable. In new legal papers, Cuyahoga and Summit counties said that “the opioid epidemic . . . constitutes an unreasonable interference with public health, public safety, public peace or public comfort” that should be laid at the feet of the drug industry. (Bernstein, 9/25)
The Associated Press: State Loses Bid For Reargument In Opioid Lawsuit
A judge who granted Walgreens’ motion to dismiss in Delaware’s lawsuit against the drug industry over the opioid crisis has denied the state’s request for reargument. The judge said Wednesday that she did not overlook a controlling legal principle or misapprehend the law in dismissing Walgreens. (Chase, 9/26)
POLITICO Pro: How Chris Christie’s Influence On An Opioid Panel Landed Him An $800K Consulting Contract
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a lucrative consulting contract with a pharmaceutical company less than a year after President Donald Trump’s bipartisan commission on opioids and addiction, which Christie chaired, recommended policy changes the drugmaker sought. Pacira BioSciences paid Christie $800,000, plus stock options, in 2018 and 2019 as it lobbied for new Medicare rates to boost the financial prospects of its flagship product, a non-opioid painkiller used in surgeries, according to a POLITICO review of the New Jersey company’s regulatory filings. (Sutton, 9/26)
WBUR: In Township Ravaged By Opioids, Educators Create Program To Help Kids Cope
The rural township of Minford in southern Ohio started a program for children of parents and grandparents who are dealing with addiction. These kids are suffering emotional, behavioral and physical consequences of being raised by someone who suffers from addiction, says Marin Applegate, the district’s school psychologist. (Young, 9/25)
The Associated Press: Report: Opioids Settlement Won't Fix Areas Hardest Hit
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s tentative legal settlement over the toll of the nation’s opioid crisis is unlikely to reverse the consequences of the epidemic in the hardest-hit towns and regions, according to a report released Wednesday. Purdue reached a tentative deal this month to resolve the lawsuits it faces. It could be worth up to $12 billion over time, with a portion of the benefits coming in savings on opioid antidotes for governments rather than cash. It would be up to a bankruptcy court judge to approve the plan, which continues to face significant opposition. (Mulvihill, 9/25)
