Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Links Teen Opioid Abuse To Suicide Risks
CNN: Teens Who Misuse Prescription Opioids At Higher Risk For Suicide
About one of every three high school students who said they were misusing prescription opioids when they were surveyed reported they had attempted suicide, according to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. Previously, researchers have reported that young people who had misused prescription opioids at any point were at higher risk for suicidality, which the American Psychological Association defines as the "risk of suicide, usually indicated by suicidal ideation or intent" and a detailed plan to carry it out. (Rogers, 3/5)
WAFF: Tianaa Pills, Said To Produce An Opioid Like Addiction, Could Soon Be Off Alabama Store Shelves
Tianaa Red, Tianaa White, Za Za Red: these names may not mean anything to you. But for some, they are painful reminders of addiction and loss. They’re dietary supplements, not approved by the FDA, sold at convenience stores. If you take enough, some say it gives off a high, similar to heroine. (Klapp, 3/4)
In other news about the opioid crisis —
The Washington Post: Congress Questions Cardinal Health, Other Drug Makers On Opioid Settlement Tax Breaks
Congress is questioning four large drug companies about their plans to deduct some of the costs of a landmark opioid settlement from their taxes, disclosures first revealed in an analysis last month by The Washington Post. On Thursday, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform sent letters asking Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health to provide details about the tax deductions, which would lower the cost of a legal settlement in which they have proposed to pay a combined $26 billion to compensate communities impacted by the opioid crisis. (MacMillan and Schaul, 3/4)
The Washington Post: The $14 Million CEO: Drug Distributor Boosts Executive’s Pay Despite Historic Opioid Settlement
Steven Collis led one of the nation’s largest drug distributors through the deadliest years of the opioid epidemic, when pain pills poured through its warehouses and into the hands of addicts. But while Collis’s company, AmerisourceBergen, prepares to pay a $6.6 billion legal settlement to compensate communities ravaged by prescription drug abuse, the 59-year-old chief executive is set to receive a financial windfall. (MacMillan and Schaul, 3/2)
The Hill: NY Doctor Charged With Five Counts Of Murder For Prescribing Large Amounts Of Opioids
A doctor in Long Island, N.Y, doctor was charged on Thursday with five counts of second-degree murder and 11 counts of reckless endangerment over allegations that he disregarded medical ethics and began prescribing high amounts of opioids to patients without examining them. The Nassau County District Attorney's Office said in a news release that 75-year-old George Blatti faces the 16 new charges alongside more than 50 others stemming from his now-defunct medical work. Blatti is accused of prescribing tens of thousands of opiate pills to patients in many cases without reviewing their medical history or conducting a medical exam. He pleaded not guilty at a Thursday hearing, according to The Associated Press. (Bowden, 3/4)
