Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Details Of Sackler Family Members' Actions In Aggressively Marketing Opioids Complicates Philanthropic Legacy
The Associated Press: Opioid Crisis Brings Unwanted Attention To Wealthy Family
The Sackler name is emblazoned on the walls at some of the world's great museums and universities, including the Smithsonian, the Guggenheim and Harvard. But now the family's ties to OxyContin and the painkiller's role in the deadly opioid crisis are bringing the Sacklers a new and unwanted kind of attention and complicating their philanthropic legacy. The Sackler family owns Purdue Pharma, the privately held drug company that has made billions from OxyContin, and Sacklers hold most of the seats on the board. (Richer, 1/17)
In other news on the national drug crisis —
The Associated Press: Researchers See Possible Link Between Opioids, Birth Defect
Health officials are looking into a possible link between prescription opioids and a horrific birth defect. When a baby is born with its intestines hanging outside the stomach, due to a hole in the abdominal wall, it's called gastroschisis. Most are repaired through surgery. Roughly 1,800 such cases are seen in the U.S. each year, but the number has been rising and officials don't know why. (Stobbe, 1/17)
