Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trends With Anti-Anxiety Pills Hearken Back To Early Days Of Opioid Crisis
Stateline: These Pills Could Be Next U.S. Drug Epidemic, Public Health Officials Say
The growing use of anti-anxiety pills reminds some doctors of the early days of the opioid crisis. Considered relatively safe and non-addictive by the general public and many doctors, Xanax, Valium, Ativan and Klonopin have been prescribed to millions of Americans for decades to calm jittery nerves and promote a good night’s sleep. (Vestal, 7/18)
Bloomberg: McKesson, Cardinal Health Must Face New York Opioid Suits
McKesson Corp, Cardinal Health Inc. and other distributors of opioid painkillers must face claims they fueled a public health crisis by wrongfully shipping millions of opioid painkillers to retailers and pharmacies in New York. New York Judge Jerry Garguilo Tuesday rejected the drug distributors’ bids to have some counties’ and cities’ lawsuits aimed at recouping the costs of fighting the opioid epidemic thrown out. (Feeley, 7/17)
Boston Herald: Opioids Raise Chances Of Violent Encounters With Addicts, Police Say
Police officers are facing a high-risk environment with opioid-fueled junkies who think they have “superhuman strength” — dramatically raising the stakes in violent encounters, law enforcement experts and forensic psychologists say. In each of three killings of New England police officers in the past three months, the suspects had significant drug histories and are alleged to have acted with extreme violence — essentially executing Weymouth police Sgt. Michael Chesna and Maine Sheriff’s Deputy Eugene Cole, while ambushing Yarmouth police Sgt. Sean Gannon and his K-9 dog. (7/17)
The CT Mirror: More ER Docs Turning To Non-Opioids To Fight Overdose Epidemic
Emergency department physicians across the state are using more non-opioid treatments for conditions that historically have required powerful opioids for pain management, as they try to play a lead role in the overdose epidemic that kills on average 115 Americans every day. This change, coupled with other efforts, has resulted in a significant decrease in opioids ordered at emergency departments in at least two Connecticut hospitals, Norwalk and Middlesex, from 2016 to 2017. (Rigg, 7/18)
Miami Herald: Miami-Dade Jails Getting Body Scanners To Curb Contraband
Miami-Dade’s jail system will soon begin using airport-style body scanners to search inmates for contraband — a measure precipitated by the recent deaths of three inmates who overdosed on smuggled-in drugs. Corrections officers at the county’s three jails this month began receiving training on how to scan incoming inmates for cellphones, drugs and weapons hidden on their bodies. (Ovalle, 7/17)
