May 08 Drug distributors missed suspicious opioid sales to West Virginia, lawmakers say By Alan Fram, Associated Press The responses by drug executives ranged from apologies to explanations to finger-pointing at the federal Drug Enforcement Administration for not doing enough in its role as overseer of sales of legally controlled substances. Continue reading
Apr 30 Watch 7:40 How an opioid addiction can eat your heart alive By Kay Colby, ideastream The pathway to deadly heart infections for people addicted to opioids often begins with a dirty needle or polluted drug. Special correspondent Kay Colby of Ideastream reports on a little-known problem with big consequences for patients and society as a… Continue watching
Apr 19 WATCH: Minnesota prosecutor says no criminal charges will be filed in Prince’s death By Associated Press The prosecutor in the Minnesota county where Prince died said Thursday that no criminal charges will be filed in the musician's death, effectively ending the state's two-year investigation into how Prince got the fentanyl that killed him. Continue reading
Apr 19 Doctor who treated Prince agrees to pay $30,000 settlement for illegal prescription By Amy Forliti, Associated Press The settlement between the U.S. Attorney's Office and Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg comes as state prosecutors prepared to announce Thursday morning whether they'll file any criminal charges stemming from their two-year investigation into Prince's death. Continue reading
Apr 19 Americans filling far fewer opioid prescriptions, new data show By Linda A. Johnson, Associated Press Opioid prescriptions and daily doses rose steadily starting in the 1990s, fueled by factors including marketing of new opioid pills such as Oxycontin. The U.S. is estimated to consume roughly 30 percent of all opioids used worldwide. Continue reading
Apr 05 Surgeon general urges Americans to carry opioid overdose antidote By R.J. Rico, Associated Press Speaking at the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit in Atlanta on Thursday morning, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams issued his office's first national public health advisory in 13 years. Continue reading
Mar 19 Watch 9:28 Will Trump’s focus on prosecution, not treatment, make a dent in opioid addiction? By PBS News Hour President Trump announced his plan to combat nationwide opioid drug addiction at an event in New Hampshire on Monday, calling for aggressive prosecution for traffickers, including using the death penalty. William Brangham discusses these proposals with Sam Quinones, author of… Continue watching
Mar 12 Watch 6:49 To solve opioid epidemic, governors say there need to be federal dollars behind pledges By PBS News Hour The governors of Maryland and Oregon are making an urgent call for greater federal help to deal with the opioid epidemic in their hard-hit states. Gov. Larry Hogan, R-Md., and Gov. Kate Brown, D-Ore., sit down with William Brangham to… Continue watching
Feb 20 5 medical stories you might have missed By Dr. Amber Robins, Laura Santhanam It’s easy for politics to dominate our news feeds these days. But there are many important stories in the health and medical communities, too. Here’s what we’re reading now. Continue reading
Feb 12 Opioid makers gave $10 million to advocacy groups that promoted use of their pills, report says By Matthew Perrone, Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press The investigation by Missouri's Sen. Claire McCaskill sheds light on the opioid industry's ability to shape public opinion and raises questions about its role in an overdose epidemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of American lives. Continue reading