Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA, Interpol Crack Down On Hundreds Of Websites Illegally Selling Unapproved Drugs
The Washington Post: FDA Targets Hundreds Of ‘Rogue’ Websites Illegally Selling Opioids And Other Prescription Drugs
The Food and Drug Administration targeted more than 500 websites it said were illegally selling unapproved versions of prescription medications, including opioids, antibiotics and injectable epinephrine products, the agency said Monday. The action was part of a global operation called Pangea X, led by the international police organization Interpol. That group said the international enforcement effort, designed each year to identify the makers and distributors of illegal, counterfeit and substandard medical products on the Internet, occurred Sept. 12 to 19. (McGinley, 9/25)
The New York Times: Report Finds Gaps In Access To Opioid Addiction Help On Staten Island
New York City was in the throes of an alarming increase in opioid-related overdoses last summer when the city’s special narcotics prosecutor, Bridget G. Brennan, decided to follow up on a tip — not about a drug crime but about a potential academic collaboration. The approach revealed a severe treatment gap for addicts on Staten Island. (DelReal, 9/25)
San Francisco Chronicle: Ex-UC Berkeley Student Dies 7 Years After Catastrophic Drug Overdose
A UC Berkeley junior who suffered irreversible brain damage in 2010 when housemates at his university residence waited two hours to call 911 after he’d overdosed, has died. His mother, Madelyn Bennett, confirmed that John Gibson, 28, died Sunday in a San Diego hospice seven years after his tragedy — and Bennett’s lawsuit — set in motion changes to UC Berkeley’s emergency reporting policies and the transformation of a beloved, historic student residence called Cloyne Court. (Asimov, 9/25)
