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Drug overdose deaths in the United States plateaued in 2022 but still topped 100,000 — stark proof that the nation remains in the throes of a staggering crisis killing hundreds of Americans daily. According to provisional data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 105,452 people succumbed to overdoses in 2022, a number poised to increase because of the lag time in reporting deaths by state agencies. The CDC is estimating that number could top 109,000. The death count mirrors 2021, when drugs such as illicit fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine killed more than 107,000 people — a record high for the nation. (Ovalle, 5/17)

“The fact that it does seem to be flattening out, at least at a national level, is encouraging,” said Katherine Keyes, a Columbia University epidemiology professor whose research focuses on drug use. “But these numbers are still extraordinarily high. We shouldn’t suggest the crisis is in any way over.” (Stobbe, 5/17)

Walgreens has agreed to pay $230 million to San Francisco for its role in the city’s opioid epidemic following last year’s landmark trial that found the pharmacy chain liable for not performing proper screenings. ... The case was the first of its kind in the region and the first to include defendants along the pharmaceutical supply chain, including drug manufacturing, distributors and pharmacies. (Burky, 5/17)

As California faces a fentanyl overdose crisis, lawmakers are proposing tackling the crisis from two different angles: treatment and punishment. While policy proposals focused on treatment for drug overdoses and addiction have been sailing through the Legislature, ones that would increase punishments for drug dealing have been watered down or stalled. (Bollag, 5/17)

Up to one in three people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis could be at risk of long-term opioid use, a new study suggests. Academics warned that people diagnosed with rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions (RMD) are “vulnerable” to long-term use of the strong pain relief medicines. (Pickover, 5/17)

Buprenorphine, an important drug in fighting the opioid crisis, has long been closely monitored over concerns it would be abused. But a first-of-its-kind government oversight report released Thursday finds Medicare recipients rarely misuse the drug, which is considered an underused tool to treat opioid addiction and stem overdose deaths. Less than 1% of Medicare recipients potentially misused or diverted the opioid-substitute medication in 2021, according to the report from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services inspector general investigators. (Alltucker, 5/18)

Advanced money-laundering techniques and clandestine precursor imports combine to stoke the opioid crisis – can the US stem the flow? (Doherty, 5/18)