Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
White House Attorney Urged Several Candidates For Top Spot At DEA To Withdraw Before Accepting Job Himself
The Wall Street Journal: Trump’s DEA Chief Vetted Candidates And Then Took The Job Himself, Riling Police Groups
As one of President Trump’s top compliance and ethics attorneys in the White House, Uttam Dhillon had urged several candidates for Drug Enforcement Administration chief to withdraw from consideration, citing concerns about their background checks. Then, he accepted the job himself. Mr. Dhillon’s rise to the top of the world’s largest drug-fighting agency—after being closely involved in the selection process—has riled police groups that had pushed the White House to choose a DEA administrator with a law-enforcement background. (Bender, 10/25)
The Washington Post: FDA Set To Approve Potent Opioid For Market Despite Adviser’s Objections
The Food and Drug Administration is poised to approve a new form of a powerful opioid for use in hospitals and emergency rooms despite opposition from the head of the committee that reviewed the drug. The FDA is scheduled to decide by Nov. 3 whether to allow a California company to produce a 30-microgram pill form of sufentanil, a potent painkiller commonly used after surgery. An FDA advisory committee recommended approval of the drug in a 10-to-3 vote on Oct. 12. The FDA usually follows the guidance of those committees, which are comprised of experts on various drugs and medical devices. (Bernstein, 10/25)
And in other news on the national drug crisis —
NPR: Meth Is Back. It's Stronger, Purer And Snaring Another Rural Generation
The sharp rise in opioid abuse and fatal overdoses has overshadowed another mounting drug problem: Methamphetamine use is rising across the United States. "Usage of methamphetamine nationally is at an all-time high," says Erik Smith, assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Kansas City office. "It is back with a vengeance." he says. "And the reasons for that are twofold." The drug's now stronger, and cheaper, than it used to be. (Morris, 10/25)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Conference Puts 'Safe Station' Program In Spotlight, Looks To Replicate Success
Representatives with a number of different federal agencies tasked with responding to the opioid crisis were in Nashua Thursday for a conference on the city’s Safe Station program. The event, co-sponsored by Nashua-based Harbor Homes and the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, aimed to share results and best practices of the Safe Station model. (Greene, 10/25)
Boston Globe: New Study Says Opioid Addiction In Mass. Is Much Worse Than Thought
A study from Boston Medical Center published Thursday estimates that 275,000 Massachusetts residents, or 4.6 percent of people older than age 11, suffered from opioid use disorder in 2015. Previous estimates based on national surveys pegged the number at just over 1 percent. (Freyer, 10/25)
