Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Experts Chide Price For Saying Addiction Medications Don't 'Move The Dial Much'
Politico: Addiction Specialists Blast Price Comment On Opioids
Addiction specialists and public health officials on Thursday chided Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price for belittling the use of medications considered the standard of care for the treatment of opioid addiction. The remarks irked specialists already worried by the Trump administration's law-and-order stance on drug control and its tentative plans, leaked to POLITICO last week, to gut the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. And ousted Surgeon General Vivek Murthy — fired by President Donald Trump last month — chimed in about the scientific evidence on Twitter. (Allen, 5/11)
Stat: Ousted Surgeon General Rebukes Tom Price Over Comment On Addiction Treatment
Dr. Vivek Murthy, who was ousted last month as surgeon general by the Trump administration, returned to public debate on Thursday to speak out against Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price and a comment he made about addiction treatment. Murthy took to Twitter late in the afternoon to support the use of medications to treat addiction. In a string of posts, he said that the approach was scientifically shown to be effective in addressing addiction, a point he said his office made in a report last year. (Facher, 5/11)
NPR: Communities Key To Fighting Opioid Crisis, Says HHS Secretary Tom Price
In March, President Trump called opioid abuse in the U.S. "a total epidemic," and issued an executive order creating a commission focused on combating the opioid crisis. On Wednesday, the White House announced it would appoint Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, former Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy and Harvard Medical School researcher Bertha Madras to the commission, which is headed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Now, the secretary of health and human services, Tom Price, is touring communities that have been hit especially hard by painkiller and heroin overdoses. (Martin, Brown, Gordemer and Hersher, 5/12)
Stat: Senators Push Back On Trump's Proposed Cuts To Drug Control Office
The Trump administration’s proposal to nearly eliminate funding for White House office tasked with overseeing the nation’s opioid fight is getting fast and firm pushback from the Senate. A bipartisan group of 13 lawmakers, led by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), warned President Trump this week that reducing the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s budget by nearly 95 percent would derail the fight against the opioid epidemic, hamper law enforcement efforts, and cost the government money in the long run. (Facher, 5/11)
In other news —
The Wall Street Journal: New York City To Open Crisis Centers
New York City plans to spend $90 million to open two centers where police can bring people with mental illness or substance-abuse issues instead of arresting them. The short-term stay facilities, known as diversion centers, are intended for people who might otherwise be arrested or issued a summons for low-level charges. City officials estimate the two, approximately 20-bed centers, designed largely for stays of up to five days, would serve 2,400 people annually. (Ramey and Kanno-Youngs, 5/11)
Boston Globe: City Of Newton, Newton-Wellesley Hospital Partner In Opioid Fight
Newton-Wellesley Hospital and the city of Newton say their new partnership will help in the fight against the state’s ongoing opioid abuse epidemic. A new Substance Abuse Disorders Service team at the hospital will expand clinical education and training programs for providers, plus offer treatment for patients with chronic pain and substance use disorders, according to a joint statement. (Hilliard, 5/11)
KCUR: Hy-Vee Announces It Will Sell Naloxone In Missouri Without A Prescription
Another major pharmacy chain in Missouri now offers naloxone, the potentially lifesaving drug that prevents opioid overdose deaths, to Missourians without a prescription. Hy-Vee announced Wednesday it will now sell the drug to customers in Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, and South Dakota. Hy-Vee is the latest major pharmacy chain to carry naloxone without a prescription in Missouri, after Walgreens and CVS made similar announcements last year. The drug is administered in a nasal spray or injection, and can save the life of someone experiencing an opioid overdose. (Woodiel, 5/11)
