Missouri AG Casts A Wider Net In Probe Of Opioid Makers And Their Marketing Tactics
Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley is among officials in more than 20 U.S. states that have decided to combat the opioid crisis through the court system. Outlets also report on the epidemic from Hawaii, Kansas, Ohio, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Bloomberg:
More Drugmakers Get Subpoenas From Missouri Attorney General
Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley expanded his probe into the promotion of opioids by pharmaceutical companies, sending subpoenas to seven more drugmakers seeking information about how they market the painkillers. Allergan Plc, Depomed Inc., Insys Therapeutics Inc., Mallinckrodt Plc, Mylan NV, Pfizer Inc. and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. were sent subpoenas from Hawley, a Republican. In June, he sued Purdue Pharma Inc., Endo International Plc and Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. for allegedly misrepresenting the dangers of the opioids they sell, according to a statement from the attorney general. (Dolmetsch, 8/30)
The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com:
Bensalem To Be First Philly-Area Town To Sue Drugmakers Over Fueling Opioid Epidemic
Bensalem Township plans to sue pharmaceutical manufacturers in the hope of recouping tens of millions of dollars spent fighting an opioid epidemic that officials say was fueled by greedy drug companies. Officials of the Bucks County township said they looked forward to becoming the first municipality in the Philadelphia region to join a small but growing list of states, counties, and towns seeking to slow the epidemic by forcing drug companies to pay. (Sapatkin, 8/30)
NPR/ProPublica:
Hawaiians Are Less Likely To Use Prescription Drugs
If you think you would be healthier if you lived in Hawaii, you may be right. People in Hawaii appear to be much less likely to overuse problematic prescription drugs, including opioid pain medications and antibiotics, than people in the mainland United States. (Jones and Ornstein, 8/31)
KCUR:
Deadly Opioid Fentanyl Making Inroads In Kansas City Area
In May, local Drug Enforcement Administration agents, along with Kansas City police, raided a house in Kansas City, Kansas. What they found surprised them: 16 pounds of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. ...In contrast to the East Coast, which has been hit hard by fentanyl over recent years, the Midwest has remained relatively unscathed. Based on recent seizures, however, [DEA special agent Troy] Derby says that’s changing. He says the seizure in KCK was the first time law enforcement in the metropolitan area had encountered such a large amount of fentanyl. (Tudhope, 8/30)
The Washington Post:
Fentanyl Drives Another Record Year Of Ohio Overdose Deaths
Ohio says a record 4,050 people died of drug overdoses in the state last year, driven in large part by the emergence of stronger drugs like the synthetic painkiller fentanyl. The data released Wednesday mean on average, 11 Ohioans are dying each day by overdosing on pain pills, heroin, fentanyl or other drugs. Overdose deaths rose 33 percent over the 3,050 deaths in 2015. (Welsh-Huggins, 8/30)
State House News Service:
Baker Seeks To Toughen Penalties For Dealing Drugs
A year after working with the Legislature to try to stem the flow of opioids and improve addiction treatment options, Governor Charlie Baker is targeting the peddlers of dangerous narcotics with a proposal to enhance penalties for dealing drugs that lead to overdose deaths. The governor, who sits on President Donald Trump's opioid task force, also wants to expedite the scheduling of new synthetic drugs, strengthen witness protection laws and make murder-for-hire plots a serious felony in Massachusetts. (Murphy, 8/30)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
Schools Push Voluntary Drug Testing Concept
A growing list of Northern Kentucky schools is advocating voluntary drug testing clubs that ask students to go beyond pledging to be drug-free. Schools want students to prove they are drug-free by taking drug tests. (Mayhew, 8/30)
New Hampshire Public Radio:
Former DHMC Doctor Can Resume Practice After License Suspended For Opioid Use
A former Dartmouth-Hitchcock doctor who had his license suspended earlier this year after faking medical records and diverting an opioid for his own use can now return to practice. The New Hampshire Board of Medicine ruled earlier this month that Dr. Christopher Manfred can begin practicing medicine again pending certain conditions. (Greene, 8/30)
