Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Victims Of Opioid Epidemic Get Seat At The Table In Bankruptcy Court, Possibly Forcing Changes To Purdue Settlement
The Associated Press: Victims Gain A Voice To Help Guide Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy
Victims of opioid addiction weren't in the room when OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma persuaded half the state attorneys general to settle claims over the company's role in the nationwide overdose epidemic. Now that Purdue is in federal bankruptcy court, four people whose lives were touched by addiction have important seats at the table — and could force fundamental changes to the tentative deal. They are part of a bankruptcy committee that will play a major role in deciding how much Purdue will pay and potentially how that money is to be spent. (10/6)
The Associated Press: Purdue Opioid Deal Blasted As Records Show $13B To Sacklers
Attorneys general representing nearly half the states and lawyers for more than 500 local governments on Friday blasted the terms of Purdue Pharma's offer to settle thousands of lawsuits over the nation's opioid crisis in court filings that also said the company had funneled up to $13 billion to its controlling family. Their legal filings said the tentative deal does not contain an admission of wrongdoing from members of the Sackler family, would not stop family members from future misconduct and wouldn't force them to repay money "they pocketed from their illegal conduct." (10/4)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Drug Companies May Probe Cuyahoga County Jail Problems, Mother’s Murder Of 4-Year-Old Daughter At Federal Opioid Trial
Drug companies set to defend themselves from accusations that they fueled the opioid crisis have several witnesses on their list that have may little to do with drugs but everything to do with problems within Cuyahoga County. Witnesses included on a list by all the defendants include two key players in an ongoing investigation into problems in the County Jail. They also listed the father of Aniya Day-Garrett, a 4-year-old girl who died from abuse carried out by her mother and her boyfriend. (Heisig, 10/4)
Cincinnati Enquirer: What If Genetic Test Could Alert You To Future Addiction To Opioids?
A doctor faces an impossible choice every time she must decide whether to give an emergency room patient a painkiller. "I'm faced with this battle. How do I decide how much pain medication to give someone?" asked Caroline Freiermuth of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Freiermuth wants to treat their pain. She doesn't want them to suffer or purchase illicit opioids or heroin on the street. But she doesn't want to contribute to an opioid addiction. (Balmert, 10/4)
Stateline: Opioid Treatment Scam May Be Coming To Your State
Here’s how the scam works: Seemingly caring people join recovery-related online chat groups, answer addiction hotlines advertised online or show up at fundraisers for addiction recovery. They typically say they’re in recovery themselves and are therefore uniquely qualified to help. People with addiction and their families often don’t want to ask their doctors or pastors for help because they’re ashamed and want to hide their illness. So, turning to a stranger can be appealing. To attract victims, “patient brokers,” as the scammers are known, typically offer free airline tickets and pocket money, according to prosecutors. (Vestal, 10/7)
The Associated Press: 6 Plead Guilty In $48M Drug Treatment Fraud Scheme
Federal authorities say six people have pleaded guilty to charges involving a $48 million Medicaid fraud scheme involving an Ohio addiction services company. Among those who entered pleas Friday in Youngstown was 39-year-old Ryan Sheridan, of Leetonia, the owner of Braking Point Recovery Center, which operated drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities outside Youngstown and Columbus. (10/5)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Six Plead Guilty In $48 Million Health-Care Fraud Case Involving Northeast Ohio Addiction Treatment Company
The owner of a now-defunct for-profit addiction treatment company pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges, following a week where his five co-defendants also admitted to charges in a scheme prosecutors said led to $48 million in fraudulent billing of Medicaid. Ryan Sheridan, 39, of Leetonia admitted that he and others worked together to defraud the federal government through Braking Point Recovery Center, which provided detox, outpatient treatment, day treatment and sober-living services. (Heisig, 10/5)
Seattle Times: Warning Issued After At Least 3 High Schoolers In King County Die From Fentanyl-Laced Pills
Parents, school administrators and public-health officials are sounding the alarm as fentanyl-laced pills have claimed the lives of at least three King County high-school students in recent weeks, part of a significant increase in overdose deaths since June. Students at Ballard High School in Seattle and Skyline High in Sammamish died after taking what they thought were oxycodone or OxyContin pills. The pills, some stamped with “M” and “30,” were laced with the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, which can be deadly in even minuscule doses – but the quantities in counterfeit pills can’t be discerned. (Romano and Kiley, 10/5)
CNN: It's Not Just Opioids: What Doctors Want You To Know About Benzos
There's no understating the extent of America's opioid crisis. In 2017, the same year it became a public health emergency, an estimated 1.7 million people in the US had substance abuse disorders related to prescription opioids. And this year, the National Safety Council found that the odds of dying from an accidental opioid overdose are greater than those of dying in a car crash. But there's another prescription drug concern that experts say has grown in the shadow of the opioid epidemic: the rise in use of benzodiazepines. (Hare, 10/4)
