• Drug companies reach tentative deal to settle opioids lawsuit

    Drug companies reach tentative deal to settle opioids lawsuit

    Oct 21, 2019 01:10 PM EDT

    ... crisis. The epidemic has become more complicated in the past decade, with fatal overdose numbers rising largely because of illicit drugs such as heroin and fentanyl. Overall, there have been more than 400,000 deaths linked to opioids in the U.S. since 2000. The settlement efforts until now have ...

  • Jury selection begins in opioid trial despite delay request

    Jury selection begins in opioid trial despite delay request

    Oct 16, 2019 03:02 PM EDT

    ... with effects of the opioid crisis to get help as soon as possible. Counting prescription drugs and illegal ones such as heroin and illicitly made fentanyl, opioids have been blamed for more than 400,000 deaths in the U.S. since 2000. Five drug manufacturers, including Purdue Pharma, have used ...

  • Why bankruptcy might not get opioid-maker Purdue Pharma off the hook

    Why bankruptcy might not get opioid-maker Purdue Pharma off the hook

    Sep 16, 2019 12:36 PM EDT

    ... fraction of the prescription opioids shipped over the years — and most fatal overdoses have been linked to illegal opioids such as heroin and illicitly made fentanyl. Steve Miller, chairman of Purdue's board of directors, said on a conference call with reporters that an admission of wrongdoing is not part ...

  • Purdue Pharma files for bankruptcy as part of opioids settlement

    Purdue Pharma files for bankruptcy as part of opioids settlement

    Sep 16, 2019 12:14 PM EDT

    In recent years, there have been more deaths involving illicit opioids, including heroin and fentanyl, than the prescription forms of the drugs. That change has happened as awareness of the dangers of prescription opioids has increased and prescribers have become more cautious. Purdue's drugs are just a slice of ...

  • Tracking the flow of opioids across America

    Tracking the flow of opioids across America

    Aug 25, 2019 09:28 PM EDT

    ... But it's just sort of a Band-Aid of a solution. And so there really needs to be sort of an emphasis on stopping fentanyl from getting into the country and also in treatment for people who are addicted to it. Hari Sreenivasan: You know even though we've ...

  • China threatens retaliation for Trump's planned tariff hike

    China threatens retaliation for Trump's planned tariff hike

    Aug 02, 2019 02:13 PM EDT

    ... gathering of the Group of 20 major economies in Osaka, Japan.The president accused Beijing of failing to follow through on stopping the sale of fentanyl to the United States or on purchasing large quantities of farm goods such as soybeans. Speaking to reporters Thursday at the White House, Trump ...

  • Trump threatens 10 percent tariffs on China, sending stocks plummeting

    Trump threatens 10 percent tariffs on China, sending stocks plummeting

    Aug 01, 2019 06:11 PM EDT

    ... Trump tweeted amid slow-moving talks with China that negotiations will continue. But he blamed China for not following through on stopping the sale of fentanyl to the United States or purchasing large quantities of farm goods such as soybeans. Stocks immediately tumbled on the news. The Dow Jones Industrial ...

  • Trump administration tightens opioid prescriptions for federal employees

    Trump administration tightens opioid prescriptions for federal employees

    Jul 29, 2019 08:10 PM EDT

    ... will end up below 69,000 deaths.The improvement was driven by a drop in deaths from heroin and prescription painkillers. But deaths that involve fentanyl, a much more powerful opioid, are still going up. Fentanyl is an ingredient in many street drugs. It's shipped into the country by ...

  • No obligation to the public, opioid distributor tells lawyer

    No obligation to the public, opioid distributor tells lawyer

    Jul 24, 2019 09:30 PM EDT

    ... the U.S. that are suing the industry over opioids, a class of drugs that includes prescription medications and illicit substances such as heroin and fentanyl.All told, those drugs contributed to the deaths of more than 400,000 people in the U.S. from 2000 to last year, according ...

  • The opioid industry fought hard to keep this database hidden. Here's what it shows

    The opioid industry fought hard to keep this database hidden. Here's what it shows

    Jul 18, 2019 10:45 PM EDT

    ... trial this fall. The epidemic has led to a series of tragic disasters that have unfolded over two decades involving addictions to opioids, heroin, and fentanyl in different waves. Hundreds of thousands of people have died throughout the country. Now, as William Brangham tells us, a new database has been ...