Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Bulk Of People Who Use Heroin Are Functioning Addicts. Here's A Look At Their Lives
They're not slumped over in alleyways with used needles by their sides. Their dignity, at least from outside appearances, remains intact. They haven't lost everything while chasing an insatiable high. They are functioning heroin addicts -- people who hold down jobs, pay the bills and fool their families. For some, addiction is genetic; they're wired this way. For others, chronic pain and lack of legal opioids landed them here. Or experimentation got them hooked and changed everything. (Ravitz, 2/27)
Ohio on Monday accused four major pharmaceutical distributors of ignoring their responsibilities to ensure that opioids were not being diverted for improper uses, contributing to a drug abuse epidemic in the state. The lawsuit by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine was filed in a state court against McKesson Corp, Cardinal Health Inc, AmerisourceBergen Corp and Miami-Luken Inc and marked the second he has pursued over corporations' roles in the opioid crisis. (Raymond, 2/26)
The lawsuit filed in Madison County Common Pleas Court claims drug distributors ignored a responsibility to provide effective controls against opioid diversion. The distributors knew the number of painkillers being brought into Ohio far exceeded the number needed for legitimate medical purposes -- an indication some of the drugs were being used improperly, the lawsuit says. (Madden, 2/26)
The federal judge overseeing hundreds of lawsuits local governments filed against opioid manufacturers and distributors is pushing the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to release government-collected painkiller data to both sides engaging in settlement talks. U.S. District Judge Dan Polster, during a hearing Monday, ordered the DEA to inform him by March 5 if it will consent to releasing some data from the Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System, or ARCOS. He also wants to know how long it would take to release the data. (Heisig, 2/26)
Facilities offering addiction treatment programs are among nearly $20 million in Cuyahoga County projects included in the $2.62 billion state capital budget bill introduced Monday. The capital budget funds improvements to roads, schools and public buildings, but community projects tend to hog the spotlight despite comprising a small portion of the budget. (Borchardt, 2/26)
Mayor Bill de Blasio offered few specifics when he said New York City litigation would seek about $500 million from opioid manufacturers and distributors to recover costs associated with abuse of the drugs. The breakdown of that half billion offers a window into how the opioid epidemic has taxed the city, with most of it borne by its financially strapped public-health system. (Ramey, 2/26)
A Michigan doctor linked to a federal investigation into allegations that Insys Therapeutics Inc paid kickbacks to medical practitioners to prescribe its flagship opioid product was sentenced on Monday to 32 months in prison. Gavin Awerbuch, 59, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Arthur Tarnow in Detroit after admitting that he wrote prescriptions for Insys' fentanyl-based cancer pain medication Subsys for non-legitimate uses and committed health care fraud. (Friess, 2/26)
The Iowa House passed聽bipartisan聽legislation Monday night aimed at battling a crisis in opioid addiction that lawmakers said will help save lives and reduce聽personal devastation and family聽tragedies that are striking many communities. House File聽 2377 would place limits on opioid prescriptions, implement Good Samaritan laws for those who report overdoses and require physicians to file every prescription electronically to avoid circumstances when paper prescriptions are subject to forgeries (Petroski, 2/26)
The National Governors Association selected Virginia to participate in a learning lab in Kentucky to better understand how that state is addressing rising rates of infectious diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV caused by the opioid epidemic. ... There were more than 10,000 cases of chronic hepatitis C in Virginia in 2017, which is often a precursor of rising rates of HIV. (Staff, 2/26)
In a move reminiscent of "tough-on-crime" drug policy from decades ago, a bill in the Arizona House of Representatives calls for mandatory 5-year-minimum prison sentences for first-time heroin and fentanyl sellers. (Pohl, 2/26)
