Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Owners Of Opioid Maker Gave Millions To Body Advising Govt. On Drug Crisis
The New York Times: Sacklers Gave Millions To Institution That Advises On Opioid Policy
For the past decade, the White House and Congress have relied on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, a renowned advisory group, to help shape the federal response to the opioid crisis, whether by convening expert panels or delivering policy recommendations and reports. Yet officials with the National Academies have kept quiet about one thing: their decision to accept roughly $19 million in donations from members of the Sackler family, the owners of Purdue Pharma, the maker of the drug OxyContin that is notorious for fueling the opioid epidemic. (Jewett, 4/23)
More on the opioid crisis —
NPR: To Halt Fentanyl, U.S. Says It 'Infiltrated' Sinaloa Cartel
U.S. officials say they've identified and infiltrated the Mexican drug organization that's largely responsible for the fentanyl crisis killing tens of thousands of Americans every year.In a sweeping series of indictments targeting two dozen leaders and kingpins, the Justice Department blamed much of the carnage on the Chapitos network, a faction of the Sinaloa drug cartel. (Mann, 4/21)
NPR: Gov. Newsom Sends National Guard, CHP To Tackle San Francisco's Fentanyl Crisis
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is directing the California Highway Patrol and National Guard to assist San Francisco authorities in combating the fentanyl crisis in the city. The two agencies will be partnering with the local police department and the district attorney's office to attempt to stem trafficking of the deadly synthetic opioid. (Kim, 4/22)
Dallas Morning News: Gov. Greg Abbott Says Fentanyl Is The Leading Cause Of Death For Americans 18-45. Is It?
The day before holding a “One Pill Kills” summit in Austin on the dangers of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has led to a surge in overdose deaths, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pointed out how deadly the drug has been. “Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans 18-45,” Abbott tweeted April 5. (Torres, 4/24)
AP: Dying Patients Protest Looming Telehealth Crackdown
Online prescribing rules for controlled drugs were relaxed three years ago under emergency waivers to ensure critical medications remained available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has proposed a rule that would reinstate most previously longstanding requirements that doctors see patients in person before prescribing narcotic drugs such as Oxycontin, amphetamines such as Adderall, and a host of other potentially dangerous drugs. (Aleccia, 4/24)
CBS News: Paramedic Sentenced To Prison For Stealing Hospital's Fentanyl
A judge sentenced Christopher Pattinson, a 41-year-old paramedic employed by a Denver hospital, to three years in federal prison last week for tampering with narcotics intended for the hospital's patients. Over four years, Pattinson stole approximately 1900 vials of fentanyl from the paramedic department's storage, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver. (Smith, 4/23)
KOCO: Families Try To Raise Awareness For Dangers Of Fentanyl By Putting Up Billboards In OKC
Families are trying to raise awareness of the dangers of fentanyl by putting up billboards around Oklahoma City. It is a new way to remember loved ones who have died from a fentanyl overdose. For just a few seconds at the billboards across the city, you can see just 11 of the many people who have died from a fentanyl overdose. (Terrell, 4/23)
