Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Opioid Treatment Rules Eased During The Pandemic Will Remain In Place
Axios: U.S. Permanently Eases Some Opioid Treatment Restrictions
Pandemic-era policies that made it easier for patients to receive opioid addiction treatment will continue permanently, the Biden administration announced this week. The changes mark the first time in 20 years the federal government has updated rules governing clinics that provide medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. (Goldman, 2/2)
CNN: An OxyContin Advertiser Will Pay $350 Million In The First-Ever Opioid Marketing Settlement
For the first time, an advertising company that worked on Purdue Pharma’s OxyContin account has settled a lawsuit that accused it of falsely marketing opioids as safe. Publicis, a French marketing company, agreed to pay $350 million within the next two months and will not take on any more opioid clients, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James. She and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser led the settlement negotiations, which included a consortium of eight other states. (Goldman, 2/1)
USA Today: Pennsylvania Courts Settle Over Opioid Use Disorder Discrimination Case
Pennsylvania courts will pay $100,000 to settle a federal lawsuit alleging that people with opioid use disorder under court supervision were prevented from taking prescribed medicine, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday. Experts say the lawsuit represents a nationwide issue where people with substance use disorders seeking jail alternative programs such as drug court, probation or parole are restricted from using federally approved addiction treatments that contain opioids. (Arshad, 2/1)
The Washington Post: New National Opioid Settlement Adds To D.C. Funds As Overdoses Mount
The District stands to gain about $600,000 in a national settlement agreement with Publicis Health, D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb said Thursday. Attorneys general from multiple states alleged that the company developed “unfair and deceptive” marketing campaigns aimed at persuading doctors to prescribe the addictive opioid OxyContin for longer periods of time and at higher doses. The funds are part of an estimated $80 million officials expect to flow to the District from multistate settlements. The opioid crisis has killed more than 400 Washingtonians annually for four consecutive years, outpacing the city’s homicide toll. (Portnoy, 2/1)
The Boston Globe: Massachusetts Will Receive $8 Million From New Opioid Settlement
Massachusetts will receive $8 million from a $350 million national settlement against the American unit of French marketing company Publicis Groupe SA for its role in marketing the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin, the latest round in a series of legal settlements against companies for fueling the deadly opioid epidemic, according to an announcement Thursday from state Attorney General Andrea Campbell. (Serres, 2/1)
