Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The Opioid Epidemic Paired With Stalled Progress On Heart Disease Blamed For Rising Death Rates For Young, Middle-Aged Adults
The Wall Street Journal: Death Rates Rising For Young, Middle-Aged U.S. Adults
Death rates are rising for young and middle-aged U.S. adults, and the outcomes for whites, blacks and Hispanics are diverging, according to a new government analysis. The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to be published Tuesday, adds new detail to a grim picture of worsening health trends across the nation, as the opioid epidemic and stalled progress against heart disease have dragged down life expectancy. (McKay, 7/23)
The Associated Press: Revamped OxyContin Was Supposed To Reduce Abuse, But Has It?
Dr. Raeford Brown was uniquely positioned to help the U.S. government answer a critical question: Is a new version of the painkiller OxyContin helping fight the national opioid epidemic? An expert in pain treatment at the University of Kentucky, Brown led a panel of outside experts advising the Food and Drug Administration on opioids that have been reformulated to deter snorting and injecting. (7/22)
Dallas Morning News: McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, Others Defend Distribution Of Pain Pills Amid Opioid Crisis After New Data Released
Drug distribution giants McKesson Corp. and AmerisourceBergen reiterated defenses of their respective businesses this week amidst the deadly opioid epidemic gripping the U.S., according to The Washington Post. The companies' statements, characterized as "broad defenses of their actions," came after The Post published previously secret Drug Enforcement Administration databases showing that five of the nation's largest drug companies distributed 35 billion doses of oxycodone and hydrocodone throughout the U.S. from 2006 through 2012. (DiFurio, 7/22)
WBUR: Patients Are Being Prescribed Opioids For Ankle Sprains, Report Finds
A new report from the University of Michigan looks at how overprescribing can create new, persistent opioid users. The report — which analyzed data from a health insurance claims database for 592,000 patients — found that almost 12% of patients diagnosed with an ankle sprain filled an opioid prescription. (Young, 7/22)
Arizona Republic: Shot In The Dark Needle Exchange Could Close Due To Low Funding
Shot in the Dark has cut its monthly operating costs to $5,000 per month, but that doesn't come close to meeting the need, Saucedo said. A recent social media campaign has helped spread the word about the funding shortfall and monthly donors have increased, but more donations are needed to keep the program operating, she said. (Innes, 7/22)
KQED: Confusion And Tension Between Counties As California Tests New Drug Treatment Program
San Francisco is one of the first counties in the state to roll out new updates to the Drug Medi-Cal program. Now the state gets more federal money to provide residential treatment for more people. But each county is responsible for running its own program. So while some bigger counties have gone all in, many rural counties, for financial or political reasons, have implemented the changes on a smaller scale; 18 opted out altogether. (Dembosky, 7/22)
