• Schumer announces fentanyl sanctions bill before China talks

    Schumer announces fentanyl sanctions bill before China talks

    Feb 10, 2019 08:26 PM EDT

    ... States,” Schumer said. Preliminary data released by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in November showed that about 49,060 people died from opioid-related overdose deaths in 2017, a rise from the reported 42,249 opioid overdose deaths in 2016. Fentanyl and other related opioids, which tend to be ...

  • This grieving family wants pharmaceutical companies held accountable for opioid deaths

    This grieving family wants pharmaceutical companies held accountable for opioid deaths

    Feb 08, 2019 11:30 PM EDT

    And he realized that they were all parents of other people who had also died from opiate overdoses. And he thought, you know, we already know this. We don't need to learn in lesson. We already learned it the hard way. Where is everyone else? And that was sort ...

  • Purdue Pharma family sought to profit off opioid crisis, filing alleges

    Purdue Pharma family sought to profit off opioid crisis, filing alleges

    Feb 01, 2019 08:48 PM EDT

    ... an attractive market," an internal memo read, according to the suit. The company later explored selling naloxone — known by its brand name Narcan — which reverses overdoses, the state's lawyers contend. A presentation made to the board in 2016 said that Narcan could bring in $24 million in sales to ...

  • U.S. border agency says fentanyl bust is its biggest ever

    U.S. border agency says fentanyl bust is its biggest ever

    Jan 31, 2019 11:56 PM EDT

    ... fentanyl overdoses are rising. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in a recent report that fentanyl is now the drug most often involved in fatal overdoses across the country, accounting for more than 18,000, or almost 29 percent, of the 63,000 overdose fatalities in 2016.

  • News Wrap: At least 15 detained migrants staging hunger strikes, ICE confirms

    News Wrap: At least 15 detained migrants staging hunger strikes, ICE confirms

    Jan 31, 2019 11:50 PM EDT

    ... drug. They found it Saturday, hidden in a load of Mexican produce entering the U.S. The synthetic opioid has caused a surge in fatal overdoses. In the U.S. Senate, Republicans and Democrats joined today in challenging President Trump's plans to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan. Majority ...

  • Behind Purdue Pharma’s marketing of OxyContin

    Behind Purdue Pharma’s marketing of OxyContin

    Jan 20, 2019 10:06 PM EDT

    ... sales reports he would be coaching people on how they should go out and push Oxycontin to doctors. When you started having people dying of overdoses he is very involved in e-mails saying look the way we're going to spin this is that it's about drug addicts ...

  • Paralyzed outdoorsman designs bike to cycle woods again

    Paralyzed outdoorsman designs bike to cycle woods again

    Jan 20, 2019 09:25 PM EDT

    ... doesn't feel strange anymore. I'd say, like, it's pretty easy to fall back into this. ‘cause it's so amazing and it's-- and I think it's pretty natural, like, for-- from being a human, wanting and-- and needing this. You can't overdose on this.

  • Drug maker pushed OxyContin despite danger signs, prosecutor says

    Drug maker pushed OxyContin despite danger signs, prosecutor says

    Jan 17, 2019 02:19 PM EDT

    ... it accounts for a small portion of opioids sold in the U.S.; and that illicit drugs including heroin and street fentanyl are causing most overdose deaths. "In a rush to vilify a single manufacturer whose medicines represent less than two percent of opioid pain prescriptions rather than doing the ...

  • Growing opioid crisis adds to Puerto Rico's problems

    Growing opioid crisis adds to Puerto Rico's problems

    Jan 07, 2019 08:43 PM EDT

    ... cookers. Minutes later, a red line appeared — a positive test for the presence of fentanyl. Program director Rafael Torruella said he noticed an increase in overdoses after Maria hit and his organization began testing heroin cookers for fentanyl. Now nearly all of them test positive. Laviena was among the addicts ...

  • Will drug companies be held accountable for America's opioid epidemic?

    Will drug companies be held accountable for America's opioid epidemic?

    Jan 01, 2019 11:35 PM EDT

    I mean, it's a stunning statistic, but in the five years at the Justice Department decided to settle this case, more than 80,000 Americans died of overdoses involving prescription painkillers, including OxyContin. William Brangham: You also argued that another settlement in 2001 against Purdue by the state of ...