Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Rumor Mill Churning About Who Next Drug Czar Will Be After Original Pick Bows Out
Stat: Next In Line As Trump's Drug Czar? Candidate Names Start To Circulate
The Trump administration has gone nine months without a permanent drug czar. But within hours of the announcement that Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pa.) had withdrawn his name from consideration on Tuesday, the D.C. rumor mill was up and running. Potential candidates, according to administration officials, Capitol Hill staffers, and others in the world of drug and addiction treatment policy, include a who’s-who of players in the current battle against the opioid crisis. (Facher, 10/18)
The Associated Press: Former Drug Czar Nominee Marino Defends Role In Opioid Law
President Donald Trump’s former nominee to be the nation’s drug czar is defending his role in writing a law that critics say weakened the government’s authority to stop companies from distributing opioids. Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., said he’s proud of his work on the 2016 law, which passed without opposition in the House and Senate and was signed by President Barack Obama. (10/18)
In other news on the opioid epidemic —
Stat: California Wants To Pull Cardinal Health License Over 'Red Flags'
The state of California wants to revoke the wholesale license for a facility run by Cardinal Health, one of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical distributors, for failing to note a series of unusual sales of an opioid painkiller and three other tightly regulated medicines to a pharmacy. Between 2013 and 2015, the Cardinal Health outpost in Valencia, Calif., sold increasingly large quantities of the controlled substances — including Norco, which is a mixture of acetaminophen and hydrocodone — to the pharmacy, which state officials called “red flags.” Another medicine was the Xanax anxiety pill. (Silverman, 10/18)
Stat: Vivitrol, Monthly Shot For Opioid Addiction, Works As Well As Daily Medication
Aonce-a-month shot to treat opioid addiction was as effective in maintaining short-term abstinence from heroin and similar drugs as a more commonly prescribed daily treatment, according to a Norwegian study released Wednesday. The study is believed to be the first to directly compare Vivitrol — administered as a monthly shot — with a combination drug treatment sold under the brand name Suboxone. In the U.S. and many other countries, Suboxone or methadone have been the standard medical treatment for people with an opioid use disorder. (Armstrong, 10/18)
KQED: It’s Treatment Before Trial In Experimental Opioid Court
Federal, county and city court officials are looking hard at Buffalo, N.Y.’s new opioid crisis intervention court as one potential model solution to the epidemic of heroin and opioid overdoses that continue to devastate families and communities across America, taxing local governments, first responders and the nation’s criminal justice system. (Westervelt, 10/18)
The Associated Press: Maryland Congressman Joins Fight Against Opioid Epidemic
Rep. John Delaney, D-Potomac, announced Tuesday that he is co-sponsoring legislation to make it easier for the Drug Enforcement Administration to combat the opioid epidemic. The bill, called the “Opioid Immediate Suspension Order Act of 2017,” was introduced Monday by Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Virginia. Four Democratic representatives, including Delaney, have co-sponsored the legislation, but no Republicans, according to Connolly’s office. (Jacob, 10/18)
