Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Naloxone Affordability At Center Of White House Summit With Drugmakers
The Washington Post: White House Meets With Drug Firms On Cost Of Overdose-Reversal Drugs
White House officials met with pharmaceutical company representatives Tuesday in an effort to address long-standing concerns about the affordability of overdose-reversal drugs that the Biden administration views as crucial to saving lives amid the nation’s raging opioid crisis. The meeting was held with representatives from 10 companies, including Emergent BioSolutions, which later this summer will start selling without a prescription an overdose-reversal drug called naloxone. Critics have slammed Emergent for plans to price the nasal spray, sold under the brand name Narcan, at “less than $50” per two-dose kit, which they say is too expensive for many people, let alone those who regularly use drugs. (Ovalle, 6/20)
Stat: Xylazine, Or ‘Tranq,’ Is Making Opioid Overdoses Harder To Reverse
For years, public health guidance about opioid overdoses has been relatively simple: Administer naloxone, then call 911. But the days of simply spraying naloxone into an overdose victim’s nose, then watching that person resume breathing and wake up within minutes, are over. (Facher, 6/21)
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Bangor Daily News: Maine Senate Votes Down ‘Safe Injection Sites’ That Janet Mills Opposed
The Democratic-led Maine Senate narrowly voted down a bill on Tuesday to allow “safe injection sites” that are beginning to emerge nationally to fight opioid overdose deaths but remain federally illegal. Senators voted 18-16 against a measure from Rep. Grayson Lookner, D-Portland, that would allow cities and towns to approve sites where people could use heroin and other illegal drugs under the supervision of medical staff who could revive them if they overdose. (Shepherd, 6/20)
Los Angeles Times: L.A. Health Officials Warn About Fentanyl-Tainted Pills In Mexican Drug Stores
Los Angeles County public health officials on Tuesday issued an alert warning Angelenos that some pharmacies in Mexico have been selling counterfeit medications containing fentanyl and other narcotics. “The landscape of overdose deaths no longer primarily affects those who are using substances regularly,” the alert said. “Due to fentanyl, we are seeing people overdose and die the first time they try an illicit substance or counterfeit pill.” (Blakinger and Sheets, 6/20)
The Texas Tribune: Fentanyl Dominates Headlines, But There’s A Bigger Drug Problem In Texas
Opioids, including heroin, prescription pills and fentanyl, have caused the most overdose deaths in Texas, according to a Texas Health and Human Services report that studied death certificate data from 2010 to 2019. And because opioids are often mixed with other drugs, there’s been a rise in deaths known as polysubstance overdoses. The most recent state data shows those deaths reaching a rate of four per 100,000 people in 2019.The most prevalent drug combinations were commonly prescribed pills, like hydrocodone and oxycodone, mixed with depressants like benzodiazepines and psychostimulants that include amphetamine and methamphetamine. (Simpson, 6/19)
KFF Health News: What You Need To Know About The Opioid Settlement Funds
The money, which comes from companies like Purdue Pharma, McKesson, CVS, and others that made, distributed, and sold opioid painkillers, is meant as restitution for their roles in fueling the epidemic. KFF Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani breaks down the money’s path – from when it lands to how it’s spent. (Pattani, Norman and Tempest, 6/21)
