Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Opioid Makers Teva, Allergan To Pay San Francisco $54 Million Settlement
San Francisco Chronicle: Opioid Manufacturers Agree To Pay San Francisco $54 Million In Groundbreaking Case
Opioid manufacturers Allergan and Teva have agreed to pay San Francisco $54 million in cash and curative products to settle claims that they were responsible for drug addictions and deaths, leaving Walgreens, which sells the opioids, as the only defendant in the city’s groundbreaking federal court trial. The trial was wrapping up with closing statements Tuesday. (Egelko, 7/12)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
AP: Doctors Urge Access To Psychedelic Therapies In New Mexico
Physicians and researchers are urging New Mexico legislators to allow the use of psychedelic mushrooms in mental health therapy aimed at overcoming depression, anxiety, psychological trauma and alcoholism. A legislative panel on Tuesday listened to advocates who hope to broaden the scope of medical treatment and research assisted by psilocybin, the psychedelic active ingredient in certain mushrooms. Oregon is so far the only state to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin. (Lee, 7/13)
AP: Judge: NC Voters With Disabilities Can Choose Who Help Them
A federal judge has blocked North Carolina laws that greatly restrict who can help people with disabilities request absentee ballots, fill them out and return them. A disabled person needing help to vote by mail can now seek assistance from anyone they choose, not just from a close relative or legal guardian as state law has limited, the State Board of Elections told county election officials after the decision filed Monday by U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle. (Robertson, 7/12)
Chicago Tribune: Gov. J.B. Pritzker Names New State Public Health Director
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday appointed a professor from the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine to lead the state Department of Public Health as highly contagious coronavirus variants have emerged and made clear the pandemic is far from over. (Petrella, 7/12)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Shibinette To Resign As N.H. Health Commissioner
New Hampshire Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette, who spent much of her two-and-a-half-year tenure responding to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, is planning to step down later this year. (Fam and Furukawa, 7/12)
