Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Methadone Clinics Become 'Liquid Handcuffs' For Those Who Can't Afford Pricier Treatment Programs
The New York Times: Opioid Addiction Knows No Color, But Its Treatment Does
On a street lined with garbage trucks, in an industrial edge of Brooklyn, dozens of people started filing into an unmarked building before the winter sun rose. Patients gather here every day to visit the Vincent Dole Clinic, where they are promised relief from their cravings and from the constant search for heroin on the streets. Robert Perez exited the clinic on a recent Wednesday and walked toward the subway, along the Gowanus Canal. Within the clinic’s antiseptic blue walls, he had just swallowed a red liquid from a small plastic cup. The daily dose of methadone helps Mr. Perez, 47, manage withdrawal symptoms as he tries to put decades of drug abuse behind him. (del Real, 1/12)
Stateline: Injection Sites Provide Safe Spots To Shoot Up
In about one hundred locations across Canada, Europe and Australia, supervised drug injection facilities allow visitors to inject heroin and other drugs in a clean, well-lighted space under the watchful eye of trained personnel who can rescue them if they overdose. Tens of thousands of drug users have visited the facilities, thousands have overdosed and, researchers say, no deaths have been reported. Studies show that a substantial number of drug users who visit safe injection sites end up in treatment, which is routinely offered to them. Research also has shown that the facilities help contain hepatitis C and HIV infections and are a cost-effective way to save lives. (Vestal, 1/12)
The Associated Press: Federal Judge Invites States To Discuss Opioid Crisis
A federal judge who’s overseeing lawsuits from around the country against the pharmaceutical industry has invited state attorneys general to join discussions and provide input. Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland is overseeing a consolidated case involving dozens of suits filed by communities against drugmakers and drug distributors. Polster told The Associated Press Thursday he invited representatives this week from two groups of attorneys general to attend a hearing later this month. (Welsh-Huggins, 1/11)
The Wall Street Journal: Ohio Takes Steps Toward Resolution Of Opioid Litigation
Ohio has begun settlement talks with opioid-painkiller makers it has sued alleging illegal marketing, and will meet with a federal judge urging settlement of hundreds of similar suits, in early steps toward resolution of the sprawling litigation. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said his staff held separate meetings with Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Wednesday. He described the meetings as “settlement discussions.” (Whalen and Randazzo, 1/11)
Dallas Morning News: Dallas County Sues Big Drug Companies Over Opioid Epidemic
Dallas County sued a slew of drug companies and doctors this week over their alleged roles in the deadly opioid epidemic, joining dozens of other governments nationwide that have launched court battles. The 59-page claim filed Monday in Dallas County court accuses at least 11 pharmaceutical companies — including Purdue Pharma, which makes the bestselling painkiller OxyContin — and three local doctors of knowingly pushing addictive drugs on patients while claiming they were safe. The three doctors have all been convicted of illegal "pill mill" over-prescription practices. (Martin, 1/11)
The Washington Post: FDA Warns Against Giving Kids Cough And Cold Medicines With Codeine Or Hydrocodone
The Food and Drug Administration warned Thursday that children and adolescents should not be prescribed cough and cold medicines containing codeine and hydrocodone because of serious safety risks posed by the opioid ingredients. The agency said it is requiring manufacturers to change the wording on their labels to make clear that such products should not be used for anyone younger than 18. Common side effects of opioids include headache, dizziness and vomiting. Greater dangers include breathing difficulties and even death. (McGinley, 1/11)
Kaiser Health News: Banding Together To Stop Opioid Addiction Where It Often Starts — In Hospitals
Doctors at some of the largest U.S. hospital chains admit they went overboard with opioids to make people as pain-free as possible, and now they shoulder part of the blame for the nation’s opioid crisis. In an effort to be part of the cure, they’ve begun to issue an uncomfortable warning to patients: You’re going to feel some pain. Even for people who’ve never struggled with drug abuse, studies are finding that patients are at risk of addiction anytime they go under the knife. (Farmer, 1/12)
NPR: Medicaid Won't Cover Medical Marijuana For Pain
Recent scientific reviews have found substantial evidence that marijuana can be useful in easing at least some types of chronic pain. Yet even for the majority of Americans who live in states that have legalized medical marijuana, choosing opioids can be much cheaper. "I can get a bottle of opioids for a dollar on my state insurance," says MaryJane Sarvis, a textile artist in Shaftsbury, Vt. Instead, Sarvis says, she spends around $200 each month on medical marijuana. (Corwin, 1/11)
WBUR: Boston EMS Reports Opioid Overdose Deaths Were Way Up In 2017
In Massachusetts, where at least five men and women are dying from an opioid overdose every day, everyone tied to the epidemic is desperate for signs of hope. They got some late last year, when state data showed an estimated 10 percent decrease in overdose deaths for the first nine months of 2017, compared with the same period in 2016. (Bebinger, 1/11)
The Hill: Officials Defend Ending 'Flawed' Mental Health, Drug Abuse Program Registry
The Trump administration ended a national database for evidence-based mental health and substance abuse programs because it was "flawed" and potentially dangerous, officials said Thursday. The administration announced earlier this month it would discontinue the database, which was created in 1997 to help people, agencies and organizations identify and implement evidence-based programs and practices in their communities. (Hellmann, 1/11)
