Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Staggering' Number Of Opioid-Related Deaths In Maryland Highlight How Difficult It Is To Curb Epidemic
The Washington Post: Fentanyl-Related Deaths Continue ‘Staggering’ Rise In Maryland
The number of fentanyl-related deaths in Maryland reached an all-time high in 2017 and is on track to continue increasing in 2018, officials said, part of a nationwide overdose epidemic being driven by the powerful synthetic drug. Maryland fatalities caused by fentanyl jumped 42 percent from 2016 to 2017 — from 1,119 to 1,594 — even as deaths related to heroin use declined, according to data released by the Maryland Department of Health on Thursday. (Chason, 7/26)
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland's Drug-Related Deaths Increase For Seventh Straight Year, Reach All-Time High In 2017
It was the seventh year drug fatalities rose in the state, emphasizing the difficulty law enforcement and health officials have had in stemming the epidemic. “This is an escalating epidemic,” said Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana S. Wen. “But still we don’t even see the peak of this epidemic yet.” Baltimore is its epicenter with 761 deaths last year, the most of any jurisdiction. (McDaniels, 7/26)
The New York Times: Clean, Sober And $41,000 Deep In Out-Of-Pocket Addiction Recovery Costs
Tess Henry’s family paid $12,000 for 30 days of rehab from opioid addiction. She had done two more cycles of treatment without achieving sobriety. So her family agreed to pay $20,000 for 28 days of more rehab. But they never got the chance. A few days after assuring her mother that she planned to fly to Virginia to resume treatment, Ms. Henry was murdered. (Moore, 7/26)
And in other news —
KCUR: Jackson County Joins Ever-Mounting Litigation Over Opioid Epidemic
Jackson County has become the latest government body to sue drug companies and distributors for their alleged complicity in the opioid epidemic. The suit, filed on Wednesday in federal court in Kansas City, names dozens of businesses, including drug giants like Johnson & Johnson and pharmacies like CVS. It says at least 308 people in Jackson County died of opioid overdoses between 2013 and 2017. (Margolies, 7/26)
San Francisco Chronicle: Drug Giant McKesson Has More Than Just An Opioids Problem
It’s been 18 months since McKesson, the San Francisco pharmaceutical drug distributor — and one of the largest public companies in America — was hit with a record $150 million in fines from the Drug Enforcement Administration for failing to report suspicious orders for controlled substances. ... Analysts say McKesson, like other middlemen in the pharmaceutical supply chain, is facing so many other headwinds that the potential liability from opioids lawsuits is just one of a litany of problems that make for a bleak future. (Ho, 7/26)
