Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nation's Eyes Swivel To Oklahoma As High-Stakes Opioid Trial Against Drugmakers Kicks Off Next Week
Stateline: Nation’s First Opioid Trial Promises Long Odds, High Drama
The hearing, one of many held by Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman in the lead-up to next week’s trial, served as a sort of dress rehearsal for opening arguments Tuesday in Oklahoma v. Purdue Pharma, the first public trial to emerge from roughly 2,000 U.S. lawsuits aimed at holding drug companies accountable for the nation’s raging opioid crisis. It will be the first time Americans will hear the full scope of arguments on both sides in any of the lawsuits claiming that false and aggressive marketing by U.S. painkiller manufacturers caused an opioid overdose crisis that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says killed nearly 218,000 Americans between 1999 and 2017. (Vestal, 5/24)
Reuters: JPMorgan Cuts Ties With OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma - Sources
JPMorgan Chase & Co has cut ties with Purdue Pharma LP over the OxyContin maker’s alleged role in the U.S. opioid crisis, forcing it to find a new bank to manage cash and bill payments, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The move makes JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank by assets, the most high-profile corporation known to have distanced itself from Purdue and its wealthy owners, the Sackler family, amid thousands of lawsuits alleging the company pushed addictive painkillers while downplaying their abuse and overdose risks. (Spector and DiNapoli, 5/23)
Stat: American Pain Society Weighs Bankruptcy Under Load Of Opioid Suits
Weighed down by the cost of opioid litigation, the American Pain Society is considering filing for bankruptcy and a decision is expected next week. In a May 20 letter to its members, the APS board of directors blamed financial problems that have been exacerbated by the mounting expenses associated with defending lawsuits filed by local, city, and state governments over the opioid crisis. Along with drug makers and wholesalers, the professional society was named as a defendant in many of the cases. (Silverman, 5/23)
California Healthline: Use Of Buprenorphine To Treat Opioid Addiction Proliferates In California
Buprenorphine, a relative newcomer in the treatment of opioid addiction, is growing in popularity among California doctors as regulatory changes, physician training and other initiatives make the medication more widely accessible. The rate of Medi-Cal enrollees who received buprenorphine nearly quadrupled from the end of 2014 to the third quarter of 2018, according to data released by Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. The rate for methadone — an older and more commonly used drug — was almost unchanged from the end of 2014 through the last quarter of 2017, the most recent period for which data are available. (Rowan, 5/23)
