Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Early Opioid Evangelist Now Helping Plaintiffs In Return For Charges Against Him Being Dropped
The Washington Post: Opioids Advocate Now Working With Plaintiffs In Lawsuits
A doctor who spent decades advocating for broader use of powerful prescription painkillers is now working with the state and local governments that are suing drug companies over the opioid crisis. Dr. Russell Portenoy, a professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, is helping the plaintiffs in exchange for having claims against him dropped. His cooperation was made public late last week in a court filing from a special court master who is helping manage more than 1,500 lawsuits against the drug industry that are consolidated under a federal judge in Cleveland. (Mulvihill, 4/8)
Bloomberg: Opioid Evangelist Switches Sides In Case Alleging Pharma Abuse
Dr. Russell Portenoy, a medical-school professor who studied pain for more than 30 years, has agreed to testify against the industry in trials of lawsuits brought by local governments seeking billions in social costs associated with addiction, according to unsealed court filings. In a sworn statement, he said drug makers were too aggressive in promoting opioids for all kinds of ailments. “The opioid manufacturers should have tempered their positive messaging about opioids with a greater focus on risk, particularly as early signals of opioid risk emerged,” Portenoy said in his court declaration. Drug makers also “should have responded as evidence of increasing adverse affects mounted” to increased awareness and “reduce inappropriate or risky prescribing,” he said. (Feeley, 4/8)
Stateline: As Drug Crises Surge, Babies Enter Foster Care At Higher Rate
Babies and toddlers are entering the foster care system at a higher rate, a trend that some child welfare experts fear is correlated to the opioid and methamphetamine epidemics wreaking havoc across the country. And that is further straining the nation’s already overburdened child welfare system. From 2009 to 2017, the rate of very young children entering foster care grew incrementally, exceeding the rates of older children, which remained steady, according to data compiled by Child Trends, a Maryland-based research organization that focuses on child welfare issues. In fiscal year 2017, children age 3 and under entered foster care at a rate of 6.6 in 1,000, more than twice the 2.8 rate of children ages 4 to 17. (Wiltz, 4/9)
Stat: ‘We Owe Much To The Sackler Family’: How Gifts To A Top Medical School Advanced The Interests Of Purdue Pharma
In 2009, a Tufts University School of Medicine professor named Dr. Daniel Carr took stock of the accomplishments of the pain program he had helped start a decade earlier. Alumni of the master’s program included physicians, nurses, dentists, and pharmacists, he said in a post on the center’s blog. Faculty at the Pain Research, Education, and Policy program had advised policymakers and were at work on a book about pain treatment in a changing health care landscape. He also thanked the program’s donors, including the billionaire dynasty that made it possible. (Joseph, 4/9)
Orange County Register: First-Of-Its-Kind Addiction Treatment Registry To Launch Soon In Orange County
In an attempt to wrap its arms around abuses in the addiction-treatment industry, Orange County became the first in California to require all providers to come clean by disclosing their affiliates — sober living homes, blood- and urine-testing labs, pharmacies and the like — in a public registry. County supervisors approved the move in contentious meetings in October, and the system has been in development ever since. The online registry is now in testing and is slated to launch by summer, say officials with the county Health Care Agency. (Sforza, 4/8)
Stat: Cardinal Health Fined For Failing To Secure Controlled Substances
Concerned about the diversion of opioids, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy has fined Cardinal Health (CAH), one of the largest pharmaceutical wholesalers in the U.S., $5,000 for failing to secure shipments of controlled substances. A board spokesman explained that the small penalty reflected limits of $2,500 per violation, but that the board took the infraction seriously. “We want all controlled substances secured and not subject to diversion,” he told us. “And want to make sure that Cardinal Health has policies and procedures in place to prevent that problem. (Silverman, 4/8)
