Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Walgreens Was In Unique Position To Raise Red Flags During Height Of Opioid Crisis But Failed To, Documents Show
The Washington Post: At Height Of Crisis, Walgreens Handled One In Five Of The Most Addictive Opioids
At the height of the opioid epidemic, Walgreens handled nearly one out of every five oxycodone and hydrocodone pills shipped to pharmacies across America. Walgreens dominated the nation’s retail opioid market from 2006 through 2012, buying about 13 billion pills — 3 billion more than CVS, its closest competitor, according to a Drug Enforcement Administration database of opioid shipments. Over those years, Walgreens more than doubled its purchases of oxycodone. (Abelson, Williams, Tran and Kornfield, 11/7)
The Washington Post: Statements From The Five Pharmacy Chains That Handled The Most Opioids
Five pharmacy chains ordered 33 billion pills containing oxycodone and hydrocodone from 2006 through 2012. This accounts for almost half of the prescription pain pills distributed in the United States, according to a Washington Post analysis of data compiled by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Below are statements issued by the five pharmacy chains. (Abelson, 11/7)
In other news on the crisis —
Bloomberg: Drug Distributor Cardinal Marks $5.6 Billion For Opioid Suits
Cardinal Health Inc., one of the three major pharmaceutical distributors in the U.S., said it will put aside $5.6 billion for a potential settlement over the company’s alleged role in an epidemic of pain pill addiction that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. States, cities, counties and their lawyers have been negotiating for months with each other and with the health-care companies they accuse of fueling the epidemic over a settlement that could eventually total in the tens of billions of dollars. (Armstrong, 11/7)
The Associated Press: New York Judge Sets Opioid Crisis Trial For January
A New York judge on Wednesday scheduled what could be the second state-level trial in the U.S. on the toll of opioids. Judge Jerry Garguilo set a trial date of Jan. 20 for claims brought by the state attorney general and the Long Island counties of Nassau and Suffolk against a group of drug manufacturers and distributors. The judge has selected those claims to move ahead while dozens of other cases he is overseeing from local New York governments are on hold. (11/7)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Inside Look At New Orleans' Sobering Center: New Facility Offers Alternative To Jail, Hospital
Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Thursday helped to open the city’s new Sobering Center, a 25-bed facility at St. Ann Street and North Claiborne Avenue where nonviolent intoxicated people can dry out instead of being sent to the city's jail or hospital emergency rooms. Inside, the center looks something like a preschool nap room, but with full-size beds. Four rows of pastel-blue plastic bins hold 25 mattresses, each made up with crisp white sheets and white cotton blankets. (Reckdahl, 11/7)
