Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Local Ties In Suit Against Opioid Manufacturer Makes Case Personal For New Jersey Officials
The New York Times: New Jersey Sues Pharmaceutical Company Amid Spiraling Opioid Crisis
New Jersey officials, taking on one of the state’s core industries, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson that manufactures opioids, accusing the pharmaceutical company of misleading patients about the addictive dangers posed by its drugs. It was the first time that New Jersey has brought legal action against a company based in the state as it struggles to contain a spiraling opioid addiction crisis. And it comes at a time when state attorneys general across the country have intensified their efforts to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the epidemics of abuse. (Corasaniti, 11/13)
Stat: Pharmacies Fail To Offer Easy Access To Naloxone, Or To Stock It, Despite State Efforts
In communities around the country, health officials and lawmakers have expanded access to naloxone — the opioid overdose reversal medication — by making it available at pharmacies without a prescription. One problem: Not all pharmacies have gotten on board. In California, less than one-quarter of pharmacies surveyed said that customers could pick up naloxone without a prescription, even though they have been legally allowed to do so since January 2016, according to one new study. (Joseph, 11/13)
The Oregonian: Oregon Surgeon Finds Opioids Mostly Unnecessary For Thyroid Surgeries
Now about 55 percent of patients who undergo a thyroid operation are discharged without opioids. That number jumps for similar surgeries -- nearly 80 percent for parathyroidectomies, the removal of one or more glands attached to the back of the thyroid. Oregon Health and Science University revised its pain treatment guidelines in September to reduce the number of opioids sent home with patients as the state health authority encourages alternative pain management therapies. Now, OHSU Healthcare recommends activity instead of rest for lower back pain, and acetaminophen, such as Tylenol, as a first choice of medication instead of an opioid, such as oxycodone. (Harbarger, 11/13)
KCUR: As The Opioid Backlash Grows, Sickle Cell Patients Fear They'll Lose Critical Pain Treatment
For the 100,000 mostly black people in the United States who have sickle cell disease, the combination of acute crises and chronic pain can be debilitating. Treatment guidelines allow for high levels of opioids, but many sickle cell patients are now worried where recent crackdowns on opioids will leave them, particularly after a long history of misunderstanding about the disease. ...newer drugs that improve blood function have improved the quality of life for many patients, and concern about the harms of opioids have led sickle cell specialists to take different approaches to treating pain. (Smith, 11/14)
New Hampshire Public Radio: 2 N.H. Hospitals Testing Starting Treatment For Opioid Addiction In The Emergency Department
Emergency departments in Claremont and Manchester are testing out a new approach to addiction treatment for opioid users, collaborating on a federally funded study with Bellevue Hospital in New York City. In most hospitals across the country, patients presenting with complications from drug use, or having overdosed, are treated for their immediate concerns but referred elsewhere for help with their addiction. (Greene, 11/13)
Kaiser Health News: Childbirth In The Age Of Addiction: New Mom Worries About Maintaining Sobriety
When she was in her early 20s, Nicole Veum says, she made a lot of mistakes. “I was really sad and I didn’t want to feel my feelings,” she said. “I turned to the most natural way I could find to cover that all up and I started using drugs: prescription pills, heroin for a little bit of time.”Veum’s family got her into treatment. She’d been sober for nine years when she and her husband, Ben, decided to have a baby. Motherhood was something she wanted to feel. (Dembosky, 11/14)
