Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lawmakers Turn Up The Heat On Painkiller-Makers In Investigation Of Their Role In Opioid Crisis
Stat: Congressional Committee Pressures Opioid Makers And Distributors
ACongressional committee is stepping up pressure on three of the largest purveyors of opioids — Purdue Pharma, Mallinckrodt (MNK), and Insys Therapeutics (INSY) — by seeking a raft of documents concerning their controversial marketing and distribution practices. In letters sent on Thursday to the companies, the House Energy and Commerce Committee asked the drug makers to provide information pertinent to their role in the opioid crisis, such as relationships with doctors, oversight of suspicious orders, funding to outside organizations, training for sales reps, and policies for educational programs, among other things. (Silverman, 8/3)
The Washington Post: Demi Lovato Breaks Silence After Apparent Drug Overdose: ‘I Will Keep Fighting’
In Demi Lovato’s first public statement since being hospitalized for an apparent drug overdose, the pop star says she is focused on her sobriety and “road to recovery.” “I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction,” Lovato wrote in a letter posted on her Instagram. “What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet.” (Schmidt, 8/6)
And in other news on the crisis —
The Baltimore Sun: Annapolis Doctor In Painkiller 'Pill Mill' Case Sentenced To Five Years
A judge sentenced an Annapolis urologist to five years in prison Thursday for his role in two “pill mills” that gave patients prescriptions for thousands of doses of powerful and addictive painkillers. Dr. Kofi Shaw-Taylor, 68, was sentenced by Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Michael Wachs to two five-year concurrent sentences after pleading guilty to a charge of Medicaid fraud and another for conspiracy to commit Medicaid fraud. Those sentences, however, will be cut by nearly a year because of time he spent in home detention after his initial arrest in August 2017. (Stewart, 8/3)
The Star Tribune: Anti-Addiction Drugs Proving Tough For State's Poor To Obtain
Despite Minnesota’s professed commitment to battling opioid abuse, the state’s own health insurance program for the poor is among the biggest barriers in getting anti-addiction drugs to patients, according to doctors at several clinics across the state. Physicians use the drug Suboxone and its generic equivalents to help people recover from opioid addiction, but government red tape can delay getting the drugs into the hands of Medical Assistance enrollees — delays that can be deadly. (Howatt, 8/5)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cheaper, Purer Meth Piggybacks Opioid Crisis In Ohio
In Ohio, the number of people, like Kreager, who are addicted to meth is increasing dramatically, authorities say. The drug's use has surged across the state, leading police to seize record amounts of the mind-altering stimulant. Users go on binges that leave them wired and hallucinating for days, according to court records and interviews with police, counselors and patients in treatment. (Caniglia, 8/5)
