Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Administration Embraces Partnership With Pharma To Fight Opioid Crisis
Politico: White House Backs Pharma Partnership After Delaying Other Opioid Panel Proposals
The White House has delayed implementing two of the top recommendations of the presidential opioid commission chaired by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, but the Trump administration sent several officials to Trenton on Monday to advance a third program — a public-private partnership with the pharmaceutical industry. Standing next to Christie, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway said President Donald Trump has made the opioid epidemic a priority, which is why he established the Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis in the first place. (Jennings, 9/18)
The Associated Press: Christie: Drugmakers To Work On Nonaddictive Pain Medication
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday that pharmaceutical companies agreed to work on nonaddictive pain medications and additional treatments to deal with opioid addiction. The Republican governor made the announcement in Trenton, shortly after he convened a meeting of the White House opioid commission that he chairs. That roundtable discussion was closed to the press. (Catalini, 9/18)
And in news from the states —
The Associated Press: City Asks Judge To Let Case Against OxyContin Maker Proceed
A Washington city that says the pain medication OxyContin has devastated the community asked a federal judge Monday to let it move forward with its lawsuit seeking to hold the pill's manufacturer accountable for damages. Everett, a working-class city of about 108,000 north of Seattle, sued Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma in January, alleging the company knowingly allowed pills to be funneled into the black market and into the city and did nothing to stop it. (Le, 9/18)
Modern Healthcare: Safe Injection Site Bill Fails To Pass In California
The failure of a California bill to make it the first state in the country to legalize safe injection sites for drug users has not deterred proponents, which include many providers and public health experts. California bill AB 186 would have allowed Alameda, Humboldt, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Joaquin counties to approve facilities specifically designed to allow for the consumption of drugs. The bill fell two votes shy of the 21 needed to approve the measure before the end of the state's legislative session on Friday. A number of lawmakers were absent for the vote last week, giving Dr. Paula Lum, professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco hope that the issue will be revisited in the next session in January. (Johnson, 9/18)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Louisiana Infants Born Exposed To Drugs, Alcohol Triples In 8 Years
The number of newborns in Louisiana exposed to alcohol and drugs before their births almost tripled over an eight year period ending in 2016, according to information provided by the Department of Children and Family Services Monday (Sept. 18). In 2008, hospitals reported 569 newborns with drugs or alcohol in their systems at birth to the agency. In 2016, they reported 1,659 of the same cases. Opioid addiction is part of what is driving the increase, said Marketa Walters, secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services. "We know that's a huge factor," she said. (O'Donoghue, 9/18)
Boston Globe: Addiction Event On Cape Cod Mingled Courses, Controversy
Sovereign’s prominent and untimely sponsorship of the Cape Cod Symposium on Addictive Disorders, one of the largest and most influential addiction treatment events of the year, created an awkward juxtaposition for an industry eager to improve its reputation. Many in the sprawling, $35 billion addiction treatment business are dismayed by revelations of unethical marketing, patient brokering, and shoddy care — all coming as the demand for quality treatment has never been higher amid a national opioid epidemic. (Allen and Armstrong, 9/19)
Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Opioid Overdose Deaths Jump 12% In 2016
The number of Tennesseans who died from drug overdoses spiked 12 percent from 2015 to 2016, largely due to growing use of opioid fentanyl. There were at least 1,631 Tennesseans who died in 2016 — up from 1,451 in 2015, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. (Fletcher, 9/18)
