Opioid Epidemic May Have Killed 90,000 In 2020
In other news, Georgia officials raise an alert about overdoses from counterfeit fentanyl, Maine police give out fentanyl test kits and a federal judge warns of government lawsuit risks for pharmacies.
The Washington Post:
Overdose Deaths May Have Topped 90,000 In 2020
Early data indicate President Biden faces an even worse opioid abuse epidemic than former president Donald Trump. Biden's administration has signaled some initial indications of how it intends to approach the problem of drug abuse — a crisis that will get renewed attention as the threat of the coronavirus recedes. Overdose deaths in the United States last year may have topped 90,000.Final data won’t be available until near the end of this year. But an analysis of preliminary data by the Commonwealth Fund found that shortly after the pandemic started, monthly overdose deaths spiked 50 percent to more than 9,000 deaths in May. (Cunningham and Ellerbeck, 4/7)
Boston Globe:
An Opioid Treatment Hotline Has Saved Lives In R.I., Doctors Say. But A US Senate Bill Could Put It Out Of Business
In Rhode Island, doctors set up a hotline to get people started on buprenorphine, commonly known as Suboxone. Those involved in the hotline believe it has saved lives. Without it, the deadliest year on record for opioid overdoses might have been even worse, they say. But that hotline’s future is in doubt. It only exists because the federal government waived regulations requiring doctors to see patients in-person first in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. And a bill in the U.S. Senate — introduced by senators including Rhode Island’s Sheldon Whitehouse — would put the hotline out of business once the state of emergency is over, the people who set it up say. (Amaral, 4/7)
Stat:
Purdue Can Be Questioned On Research On OxyContin Exposure In Utero
A federal judge has given a green light to lawyers representing children with birth defects — allegedly due to exposure to opioids in utero — to question Purdue Pharma over efforts to provide documents concerning any links to its addictive painkiller and birth defects. The decision is a modest, but potentially significant victory in a long-running battle to connect OxyContin with neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS, a group of conditions caused when a baby withdraws from certain drugs while exposed in the womb. NAS is most often caused by opioid use during pregnancy. (Silverman, 4/7)
Bloomberg:
Pharmacies Face Peril Without Opioid Settlements, Judge Says
CVS Health Corp., Walgreens Boots Alliance and other pharmacy chains face mounting pressure to settle thousands of government lawsuits over their role in the U.S. opioid epidemic, after a federal judge warned the companies they risk financial peril. As drug makers and distributors work to resolve similar complaints, mediation has failed with pharmacies, which are accused of ignoring red flags about suspicious painkiller prescriptions. The first trials are set to start this year, and a judge on Wednesday may expand the number of early cases going before juries to help gauge the potential cost of settling all the cases. (Feeley, 4/7)
In news about fentanyl —
AP:
Georgia Warns Of Fentanyl Overdoses From Counterfeit Pills
Georgia officials are warning that some people may be overdosing on fentanyl pills that were falsely sold to them as Xanax or Percocet. The suspected overdoses began in January and have continued through March. Of 137 suspected incidents reported to hospital emergency rooms statewide, 99 have come from Augusta or neighboring Columbia County, and another 26 have been in the broader 13-county health district that includes Augusta. (4/7)
Bangor Daily News:
Maine Police Departments Are Giving Out Fentanyl Testing Strips
As overdose deaths rise, a growing number of Maine police departments are beginning to distribute fentanyl testing kits to those who may come in contact with the potent synthetic opioid. The Bath and Brunswick police departments are the latest Maine law enforcement agencies to join the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative’s One2One program, which supplies departments with fentanyl testing kits as an engagement and harm reduction tool for people at risk of an overdose.
The kits will allow an individual to test substances for the presence of fentanyl and will also include information about treatment and recovery options. (Abbate, 4/8)
