This Judge Overseeing More Than 400 Opioid Cases Is Going Wildly Off Script. Will It Work?
Judge Dan Polster of the Northern District of Ohio is adjudicating the consolidated legal cases against drugmakers for their alleged role in the opioid epidemic. He has already informed the lawyers that he intends to dispense with legal norms like discovery, and is after a real solution to the crisis. The move is shaking up legal circles, according to advocates and industry watchers.
The New York Times:
Can This Judge Solve The Opioid Crisis?
Here are a few choice mutterings from the scrum of lawyers outside Courtroom 18B, about the federal judge who summoned them to a closed-door conference on hundreds of opioid lawsuits: “Grandstander.” “Pollyanna.” “Over his head.” And the chorus: “This is not how we do things!” (Hoffman, 3/5)
The Wall Street Journal:
Opioid Maker Insys Still Has Fans On Wall Street
Insys Therapeutics has lost its former CEO and co-founder, John Kapoor, and several top executives, all charged with conspiracy to illegally distribute an addictive prescription painkiller. The company has lost more than 80% of its market cap since its peak price in 2015 amid declining sales and multiple lawsuits from states over how it marketed Subsys, a mouth-spray version of the potent opioid painkiller fentanyl that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat cancer-related pain. (Prang, 3/5)
Meanwhile, the Trump administration and lawmakers want to crack down on opioids delivered through the mail, while a proposed limit on prescriptions draws some last-minute opposition. And a look at America's continuing cocaine problem —
The Washington Post:
FDA Chief Wants More Mail Inspectors To Stem Opioid Influx
The head of the Food and Drug Administration wants to more than double the number of packages his agency inspects for illicit drugs, an effort to stem a deadly flow of opioids that increasingly runs through the international mail supply. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Monday he needs more staffers to intercept opioids that are being disguised as other drugs and supplements. (Perrone, 3/5)
The Hill:
Manchin Unveils Bill To Change Controversial Opioid Enforcement Law
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) unveiled legislation Monday aimed at helping the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) improve its ability to stop suspicious shipments of opioids from flooding communities. Manchin’s bill changes a law that drew a firestorm of criticism after an explosive "60 Minutes"–Washington Post joint investigation reported the bill made it harder for the DEA to freeze opioid shipments from drug companies in the midst of a full-blown crisis. (Roubein, 3/5)
Stat:
Proposed Limits To Opioid Prescriptions Draw Opposition From Docs, Patients
In the final hours of public input on a controversial new rule limiting opioid prescriptions, a last-minute coalition emerged on Monday to oppose it. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule would restrict opioid doses to Medicare patients to the equivalent of 90 milligrams of morphine per day. (Facher, 3/6)
The New York Times:
Overshadowed By The Opioid Crisis: A Comeback By Cocaine
The opioid epidemic just keeps getting worse, presenting challenges discussed at length at a White House summit last week. But opioids are not America’s only significant drug problem. Among illicit drugs, cocaine is the No. 2 killer and claims the lives of more African-Americans than heroin does. In a recent study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that drug-related deaths have grown across all racial groups and among both men and women. The analysis found that between 1999 and 2015, overdose deaths of any kind of drug for Americans 20 to 64 years old increased 5.5 percent per year. (Frakt, 3/5)
And in news from the states —
The Associated Press:
Mom Who Had Heroin-Addicted Baby Gets 30 Years For His Death
A Baltimore woman whose baby was likely born addicted to heroin and survived only nine days will serve 30 years in prison. The Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City said in a Monday release Anne Kirsch was sentenced to 75 years in prison, with 45 suspended, after she was convicted of manslaughter and child abuse resulting in death in 2017. (3/5)
Health News Florida:
Senate Backs Expansion Of Needle Exchange Program
Senate Minority Leader Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, agreed Friday to scale back his efforts to take a needle-exchange program statewide. (3/5)
The Kansas City Star:
Greitens Announces Opioid Crackdown That Could Affect 8,000 Missouri Doctors
Gov. Eric Greitens' administration said Monday it was cracking down on 8,000 Missouri doctors who aren't following best practices for prescribing opioids within the state's Medicaid program. (Marso, 3/5)
