Nation Feb 25 Johnson & Johnson, distributors finalize $26B opioid settlement By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
Health Jan 13 Overdose deaths hit a historic high in 2020. Frustrated experts say these strategies could save lives The Biden administration has embraced harm reduction strategies to prevent more people from fatally overdosing. But in order to avoid further catastrophic losses, public health experts say more bold strategies must be pursued. By Laura Santhanam
Health Nov 18 Watch 6:44 How the pandemic is contributing to alarming rise in opioid overdose deaths The nation’s opioid epidemic has never been deadlier. The Centers for Disease Control Prevention says 100,000 people died of drug overdoses over the last year — a 30 percent increase from the year before and an all-time high. As William… By William Brangham, Leah Nagy
Health Oct 06 Watch 6:13 American pharmacies face trial in Ohio over role in opioid crisis A key opioids trial — the first to go to federal court — began this week in Ohio. The trial focuses on questions of accountability and responsibility for the opioids crisis, which has been connected directly with the deaths of… By William Brangham
Health Oct 06 Watch 5:10 News Wrap: White House to invest $1 billion to boost at-home rapid COVID testing In our news wrap Wednesday, the White House announced plans to expand access to at-home rapid COVID-19 tests, and said it would double the number of pharmacies providing free testing. The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments over letting a Guantanamo…
Nov 25 Money promised to combat U.S. overdose crisis sits unused By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press A $200 million account set aside as part of Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy case is going unused because attorneys involved in lawsuits against the OxyContin maker can't agree how to spend it. Continue reading
Oct 22 Watch 6:15 Conn. attorney general calls Purdue Pharma settlement ‘a mirage’ A historic settlement was announced Wednesday among the Department of Justice, Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family over the drug giant’s role in the national opioid crisis. The CDC estimates roughly 450,000 people died from opioid overdose between… Continue watching
Oct 21 Worsening opioid crisis overshadowed in presidential race By Farnoush Amiri, Report for America, Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press The coronavirus outbreak and the Trump administration's response to the pandemic have been a dominating theme in this year's presidential race. That has overshadowed debate over how to handle the nation's drug overdose crisis, which has contributed to the deaths… Continue reading
Oct 21 Justice Department says OxyContin maker will plead guilty to 3 criminal charges By Michael Balsamo, Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press Justice Department officials tell The Associated Press that Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, will plead guilty to three federal criminal charges as part of a settlement of more than $8 billion. Continue reading
Sep 10 Watch 8:44 Could the pandemic change addiction medicine for the better? By Stephanie Sy, Mike Fritz For many Americans facing addiction, the pandemic has made life significantly harder. Across the country, overdoses have soared, with more than 40 states reporting increases in opioid-related mortality. But the coronavirus is also changing how addiction medicine can be provided,… Continue watching