Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Florida Settles Opioid Case With Walgreens For $683 Million
WUSF Public Media: Walgreens Settles With Florida In Opioid Case For $683 Million
Walgreens has settled with Florida in a lawsuit that accused the pharmacy chain of fueling the opioid crisis, Attorney General Ashley Moody announced on Thursday. The suit that wrapped up in Pasco County also concludes several years’ of state litigation against opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmaceutical companies. Walgreens agreed to pay the state $683 million, most of which will be paid out over the next two decades, with a smaller portion going toward legal fees. The funds bring the total Florida has collected from opioid lawsuits to more than $3 billion. (Colombini, 5/5)
AP: MN Senate Passes Bill To Distribute $300M From Opioid Suit
The Minnesota Senate on Thursday voted unanimously to create a framework for distributing about $300 million that the state is receiving as part of a settlement with opioid distributors and manufacturers. Counties and cities across Minnesota will be receiving a portion of the settlement, including more than $42 million to Hennepin County, the state’s most populous county, $10 million to the city of Minneapolis and $8 million to St. Paul. (Ibrahim, 5/5)
In other news about the drug crisis —
KHN: Can A Monthly Injection Be The Key To Curbing Addiction? These Experts Say Yes
Dr. Andrew Herring has a clear goal walking into every appointment with patients seeking medication to treat an opioid use disorder: persuade them to get an injection of extended-release buprenorphine. At his addiction clinic at Highland Hospital, a bustling public facility in the heart of Oakland, Herring promotes administering a shot of buprenorphine in the belly to provide a month of addiction treatment rather than prescribing oral versions that must be taken daily. For him, the shots’ longer-acting protection is a “game changer” and may be his only chance to help a vulnerable patient at risk of overdose. (Gold, 5/6)
Columbus Dispatch: Drug Overdose Leads To OSU Student Death, 2 Hospitalizations
One Ohio State University student has died, another is in critical condition, and a third was treated after apparent drug overdoses Wednesday at an off-campus house, the university announced Thursday. In a letter sent to students by OSU President Kristina Johnson declined to identify the victims, saying the university would not share personal information. On Wednesday night, just before 11 a.m., Columbus Fire medics responded to a residence on the first block of East Lane Avenue just east of North High Street on a report of three drug overdoses, Columbus dispatchers confirmed. Two victims were transported to a hospital in critical condition, and another in stable condition. (Behrens, 5/5)
And more public health news —
WUSF Public Media: Fewer Children Are Receiving Routine Vaccines. Health Officials Fear COVID Could Be The Reason
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that fewer children are getting routine vaccinations required to enter school. During the 2020-21 school year, the rate of children who received vaccinations for measles, whooping cough and chickenpox before kindergarten fell by 1% nationally to 94%. And in Florida, Politico reports that the rate of routine immunizations in county-run facilities for 2-year-olds fell from 92.1% in 2019 to 79.3% in 2021. (Bruner, 5/5)
Press Association: A Week Off Social Media Reduces Depression And Anxiety - Research
Taking a break from social media for as little as a week can reduce depression and anxiety, according to new research. People who took a break from platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for seven days reported an increased sense of wellbeing, a study by the University of Bath found. Researchers split a sample of 154 people aged 18 to 72 into two groups - one of which was banned from social media while the other was not. On average, participants used social media for eight hours a week. Participants were quizzed on their baseline levels of anxiety and depression, and their sense of wellbeing, using three recognised tests. (de la Mare, 5/6)
Health News Florida: How 'Unmasking' Leads To Freedom For Autistic And Other Neurodivergent People
Roughly 2% of adults in the United States have autism spectrum disorder – that’s about 5.4 million people over the age of 18. And a lot of them go through life “masking.” Social psychologist Devon Price explains that masking is any attempt or strategy “to hide your disability.” Price’s new book, Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity, explores masking, and how to “unmask” and live more freely. In addition to hiding from others, Price says, masking is also a coping mechanism. “You know that if you show your discomfort with eye contact, people will find you untrustworthy and treat you very differently,” he says. (Garcia and Keane, 5/5)
