Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pharma Companies Try To Shift Blame To Drug Dealers, Websites As Real Culprits Of Opioid Epidemic
Bloomberg: Drug Firms Blame Opioid Crisis On Illicit Websites, Dealers
Two pharmaceutical companies say the real culprits in the opioids epidemic are illegal dealers of the painkillers and want them to be on the hook financially for any damages potentially assessed against drugmakers. Endo International Plc and Mallinckrodt Plc sued a host of convicted drug dealers and Internet sites this week for illegally offering opioids. Among them: RxCash.Biz, which offers misbranded opioids online, an Italian man indicted for of operating so-called pill mills, and a Tennessee resident who’s serving 10 years for possessing fentanyl with an intent to distribute. (Hopkins and Feeley, 7/19)
The Washington Post: Coffee Shop Serves Hope To People Recovering From Addiction
A Pennsylvania town’s newest coffee shop is offering people recovering from opioid addiction a fresh start, one steaming cup of java at a time. Hope & Coffee began serving customers Thursday morning in Tamaqua, a small coal-region town about 85 miles from Philadelphia. In some ways, Hope & Coffee looks like any other hip cafe with its vintage parquet floors, leather sofas, free wi-fi and gourmet coffee beans. But this is coffee with a twist: People in recovery renovated the 1865 Victorian home, built the coffee bar, supply the beans and serve as the nonprofit coffee shop’s managers and baristas. (Rubinkam, 7/19)
NH Times Union: Former Mass. Man Sentenced In Fentanyl Conspiracy Case
A former Lawrence, Mass., man got five years in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Yomar Maldonado, 22, had pleaded guilty last April and after serving his sentence he will be on supervised release for four years. U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray said Maldonado also faces potential deportation back to Spain after serving his sentence. (7/19)
