Jun 18 Suicide among teens and young adults reaches highest level since 2000 By Gretchen Frazee, Patty Gorena Morales Researchers are not certain what is causing the increase, but advocates say there are a number of steps people can take to help prevent suicide. Continue reading
May 16 5 states announce new lawsuits over prescription opioids By Anthony Izaguirre, Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press With the suits, 45 states are now taking legal action against OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, asserting that the company downplayed the addiction risks of its powerful prescription drug. Continue reading
May 02 Jury says drug firm founder guilty of bribing doctors to push opioid By Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press A pharmaceutical company founder accused of bribing doctors across the U.S. to prescribe a highly addictive fentanyl spray was convicted Thursday in a case that exposed such marketing tactics as using a stripper-turned-sales-rep to give a physician a lap dance. Continue reading
May 01 Desperate to prevent opioid overdoses, states urge greater prescription of naloxone By Christine Vestal, Stateline In an effort to reduce opioid overdoses, a handful of states are requiring doctors to give, or at least offer, a prescription for naloxone to patients taking high doses of opioid painkillers. Naloxone saves lives by reversing the effects of… Continue reading
Apr 24 WATCH: Trump, first lady speak at drug abuse summit in Atlanta President Donald Trump said his administration has secured $6 billion in federal dollars over two years to fight opioid abuse, but the epidemic won't be solved overnight. Opioid abuse claimed nearly 48,000 American lives in 2017. Continue reading
Apr 23 Ex-CEO is first drug exec indicted in opioid crisis, U.S. Attorney says By Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press The indictment unsealed Tuesday alleges former Rochester Drug Co-Operative CEO Laurence Doud III ordered subordinates to ignore red flags about certain pharmacy customers to maximize company revenues and his own pay, which more than doubled between 2012 and 2016 as… Continue reading
Apr 17 Southern states slowly embracing harm reduction to curb opioid epidemic By Max Blau, Stateline In the Bible Belt, many Southerners who held conservative views often criticized harm reduction as something that encouraged — not ended — the use of drugs. But attitudes have shifted. Continue reading
Apr 04 Oklahoma drops some claims in lawsuit against opioid manufacturers By Tim Talley, Associated Press The state attorney general's office will continue to pursue allegations that the drugmakers created a public nuisance, which he says is the most important allegation against the drugmakers. Continue reading
Apr 02 Family behind OxyContin calls Massachusetts opioid suit false, misleading By Geoff Mulvihill, Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press The Sackler family says a lawsuit filed by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey that accuses Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma and the family of hiding the risks of opioids from doctors and patients is riddled with inaccurate and misleading statements. Continue reading
Mar 28 Watch 6:16 What New York state’s lawsuit against Purdue Pharma says about U.S. opioid battle More than 400,000 people in the U.S. have died from opioid use in the past two decades. As the country tries to contain the crisis, many states and cities are challenging the drug manufacturers in court. The latest lawsuit, brought… Continue watching