Nation Apr 20 Doctor who prescribed enough painkillers to ‘kill an elephant’ found not guilty in 14 patient deaths By Associated Press
Economy Feb 04 McKinsey & Company agrees to pay nearly $600 million over opioid crisis In a deal announced Thursday with attorneys general for most states, the company agreed to make public documents showing communications with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and three other companies that have been in the opioid business. By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
Health Jan 24 Watch 10:31 Drug company executives face prison time for role in opioid epidemic Thursday, several executives at Insys Therapeutics were sentenced to prison for a bribery scheme that paid doctors to prescribe the company’s lucrative and addictive painkiller. These sentences are a landmark moment in the push to hold drug makers accountable for… By William Brangham
Nation Sep 08 A Purdue bankruptcy would make opioids cases even messier State and local governments have sought billions of dollars from Purdue Pharma as a way to hold the company and the family that owns it accountable for the nation's opioid epidemic, a potential payout that is now clouded in uncertainty… By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
Health Aug 26 Watch 8:01 What Okla. judgment against Johnson & Johnson means for opioid accountability An Oklahoma judge delivered a $572 million judgment against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson in the first major legal decision to go against a drugmaker for its role in the opioid crisis. The judge found the company’s marketing practices helped…
Oct 25 Fact or fiction: Do redheads feel more pain? By Julia Griffin, Nsikan Akpan Redheads are rumored feel more pain and need more painkillers than their blonde and brown-haired cousins, but the science itself is murky. Continue reading
Jul 03 Watch 5:27 Opioid addiction rates far exceed growth of medically assisted treatment, report finds By PBS NewsHour A new report offers striking revelations about opioid use in the U.S. When insurance giant Blue Cross Blue Shield analyzed 30 million medical records, it found that roughly 20 percent of patients filled at least one prescription for opioid painkillers… Continue watching
Apr 06 Rethinking the use of medication in opioid addiction treatment By Anna Gorman, Kaiser Health News Drug treatment providers in California and elsewhere have relied for decades on abstinence and therapy to treat addicts. In recent years, they’ve turned to medication. Continue reading
Mar 29 Obama turns attention to growing opioid abuse problem By Kevin Freking, Associated Press The trajectory of opioid deaths in the United States is trending in the wrong direction, President Barack Obama said Tuesday. Continue reading
Jan 09 Watch 11:18 The opioid epidemic’s toll on pregnant women and their babies By Melanie Saltzman, Saskia de Melker The risk for overdose from opioid painkillers and heroin among women, including pregnant women, has skyrocketed, which means a growing number of babies are born dependent on opioids. NewsHour Weekend Special correspondent Alison Stewart reports on the challenges for pregnant… Continue watching