Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Following In Footsteps Of Other Art Museums, Met Turns Down Money From Sackler Family
The New York Times: The Met Will Turn Down Sackler Money Amid Fury Over The Opioid Crisis
The Metropolitan Museum of Art said on Wednesday that it would stop accepting gifts from members of the Sackler family linked to the maker of OxyContin, severing ties between one of the world’s most prestigious museums and one of its most prolific philanthropic dynasties. The decision was months in the making, and followed steps by other museums, including the Tate Modern in London and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, to distance themselves from the family behind Purdue Pharma. On Wednesday, the American Museum of Natural History said that it, too, had ceased taking Sackler donations. (Harris, 5/15)
The Associated Press: Met Museum: No More Money From Family Connected To OxyContin
The Sackler family overall has a multi-decade history with the Met and other cultural institutions, and there is a wing named for them at the museum that houses the well-known Temple of Dendur. But there has been increasing criticism over institutions accepting money from the branches of the Sackler family that are connected to Purdue Pharma, which makes OxyContin. (5/15)
The Wall Street Journal: The Met Stops Taking Gifts From Purdue Pharma’s Sacklers
Purdue, which manufactures prescription pain pill OxyContin, and other drug companies are facing lawsuits from more than 1,600 municipalities and states in the U.S. alleging the companies helped spark the country’s addiction crisis. Some of the lawsuits allege certain Sackler family members played a pivotal role in OxyContin’s marketing and growing sales. The Sackler family and company have broadly denied the allegations. The families of Raymond and Mortimer Sackler, brothers who started Purdue Pharma, said in a statement they remain committed to supporting the missions of institutions like the Met. (Hopkins, 5/15)
In other news on the opioid epidemic —
The Detroit News: Rapid Opioid Detoxification Helps Turn Around Pontiac General Hospital
A controversial procedure that claims to help turn around opioid addicts' lives is helping turn around Pontiac General Hospital. The independently run, for-profit hospital that has gone through at least four bankruptcies since its establishment in 1910 is under new ownership and has left the red since exiting its latest Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016. It is due to the hospital's emphasis on the needs of the community, CEO Sanyam Sharma says, which includes drug rehabilitation — specifically, advanced rapid opioid detoxification, a fairly new procedure that has gone through little testing and has earned a bad reputation among some addiction experts. (Nobel, 5/6)
The Wall Street Journal: Opioid Makers Draw Scrutiny From Hedge Funds
At an investor lunch in late March, the chief executive of drugmaker Mallinckrodt PLC, one of the largest generic oxycodone producers in the U.S., said he expected the company would bear no liability for its alleged role in the opioid crisis, according to people familiar with the meeting. Some investors are betting otherwise. (Chung, Randazzo and Grant, 5/15)
The Associated Press: North Dakota To Appeal Ruling In Suit Against Opioid Maker
North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said the state will appeal the dismissal of the state's lawsuit against the maker of OxyContin over opioid abuse. South Central District Judge James Hill on Friday threw out the state's claim that Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma minimized risks and overstated benefits of long-term use of narcotic opioids including OxyContin. (5/15)
WBUR: Meth Overdose Deaths In U.S. Quadruple Over 6-Year Span
Methamphetamine is still a widely used drug in many parts of the United States, and across the country, overdose deaths involving meth have more than quadrupled over a six-year period. In Oregon, health authorities report that meth is now the leading cause of drug-related deaths in the state. Dr. Andy Mendenhall, chief medical officer for Central City Concern in Portland, Oregon, says meth use has a long history in Oregon. (Hobson, 5/15)
