Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
DHS To Step Up Efforts To Intercept Fentanyl Trafficking
The Washington Post: Biden Administration Extends Campaign Targeting Fentanyl Trafficking
Department of Homeland Security officials said Thursday they will expand a campaign targeting fentanyl by sending more teams of agents and investigators to interdict drug shipments and break up smuggling networks. Record amounts of the deadly opioid have been seized along the U.S. southern border this year, and President Biden is facing scathing criticism from Republican lawmakers and candidates who say the administration isn’t doing enough to stop the drugs. (Miroff, 6/22)
Axios: Preventable, Premature Deaths Increased During Pandemic
An increase in suicides, drug overdoses and alcohol-induced deaths combined with an increase of people dying from treatable conditions led to historically high rates of premature deaths nationwide from 2019 to 2021, according to a new Commonwealth Fund Scorecard on State Health System Performance. Both health care access and life expectancy declined in the U.S. during that time despite record-low uninsured rates. (Dreher, 6/22)
AP: Animal Sedative Adds New Suffering To Opioid Drug Crisis, But Is It Driving Up Deaths?
A powerful animal sedative in the illicit drug supply is complicating the U.S. response to the opioid crisis, scrambling longstanding methods for reversing overdoses and treating addiction. Xylazine can cause severe skin wounds, but whether it is leading to more deaths — as suggested by officials in Washington — is not yet clear, according to health and law enforcement professionals on the front lines of efforts in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. In fact, early data suggests the drug may inadvertently be diluting the effects of fentanyl, the synthetic opioid behind most overdose deaths. (Perrone, 6/23)
The Boston Globe: More Than 2,300 People In Mass. Died Of An Overdose In 2022, The Highest Number Ever
More than 2,300 people in Massachusetts died of opioid-related overdoses in 2022, the highest number ever recorded, as the scourge of addiction and a contaminated drug supply continue to take lives throughout the state. (Freyer and Cutler, 6/22)
Fox News: Addiction Complicates Pain Management, But New Guidelines Offer Help For 'Complex Patients'
Opioids are often prescribed for pain management after surgery — but for the 19 million people in the U.S. with a history of substance abuse, that option may not be safe or desired. Until now, there hasn’t been a cohesive set of guidelines for managing surgical pain in patients with a history of addiction and/or opioid tolerance. (Rudy, 6/22)
Also —
Axios: Washington State's Supply Of Opioid Treatment Meds Is Well Above Average, Study Finds
Access to medications for opioid use disorder can be much harder to find in some states than others, a recent survey found. But Washington has a better supply than most. The opioid epidemic has had an enormous human toll, with nearly 80,000 reported opioid-involved drug overdose deaths in the U.S. last year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But federal data shows only slightly more than one in 10 people with opioid use disorder receive medication for it. (Clarridge, 6/22)
