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Purdue Pharma LP acknowledged in a letter that the maker of the opioid painkiller Oxycontin is in “negotiations’’ with state attorneys general over lawsuits accusing the company of creating a public-health crisis with its mishandling of the drug. Maria Barton, Purdue’s general counsel, chastised Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine for pulling out of a multistate probe of the drugmaker by 41 of his fellow attorneys general. He did so shortly after signing an agreement to preserve his state’s legal claims “while the investigation and negotiations were conducted,’’ according to a copy of the Nov. 28 letter provided by Purdue officials. (Feeley and Hopkins, 11/30)

A group of Minnesota county attorneys announced lawsuits Thursday against the manufacturers and distributors of opiate-based pain medications. ... A number of manufacturers issued statements in response to requests for comment from MPR News, saying they only support the appropriate use of the medications for pain relief, and try to prevent illegal sales. (Nelson, 11/30)

Minnesota county attorneys from across the state plan to sue opioid manufacturers and distributors for allegedly using marketing tactics akin to the tobacco industry to flood communities with addictive and deadly narcotics. At a news conference Thursday, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said he feared late-night phone calls because so often it’s law enforcement contacting him about “another dead kid” who overdosed. (Magan, 11/30)

The number of children in the U.S. foster care system has increased for the fourth year in a row, with substance abuse by parents a major factor, according to new federal data released on Thursday. The annual report from the Department of Health and Human Services counted 437,500 children in foster care as of Sept. 30, 2016, up from about 427,400 a year earlier. (Crary, 12/1)

Retired Navy Adm. James “Sandy” Winnefeld once had the ability to project military power anywhere on Earth. But when it came to finding help to pull his son Jonathan back from the depths of drug addiction, the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was at a loss. ... The Winnefelds and military health-care experts stressed that Tricare’s limitations mirror the civilian health-care system, where care for drug addiction and mental health issues has not kept pace with the widening opioid epidemic. (Horton, 12/1)

A new form of a widely used opioid addiction treatment that is injected monthly instead of taken daily as a tablet was approved Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration. Experts say the eagerly anticipated new version of the drug may help patients reduce relapses, disrupt the treatment market, and possibly dispel misconceptions about the drug’s potential for abuse. Indivior is the first company to gain approval for a monthly injection of buprenorphine. The company is best known for Suboxone, a daily formulation that combines buprenorphine with naloxone into a film that dissolves under the tongue. (Blau, 11/30)

U.S. health officials on Thursday approved the first injectable form of the leading medication to treat patients recovering from addiction to heroin, prescription painkillers and other opioids. The Food and Drug Administration approved once-a-month Sublocade for adults with opioid use disorder who are already stabilized on addiction medication. (Perrone, 11/30)

Four House Democrats introduced a bill Thursday to provide $45 billion over 10 years to fight the opioid epidemic. In late October, President Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency — a move that didn’t free up millions of dollars to fight the increasing rate of opioid overdose deaths. (Roubein, 11/30)

The opioid epidemic has grabbed the spotlight of late, with state and national leaders promising action. ... But local advocates, medical professionals and researchers who work every day with those affected by opioid addiction are hesitant to celebrate until they see meaningful action. (Griffin, 12/1)

The toll from the heroin and opioid epidemic has steadily continued in Milwaukee County, with more than 330 drug-related deaths so far this year. But what's arguably more striking is the number of people who have suffered an opioid overdose and survived — 2,909 in the city of Milwaukee as of Nov. 9, according to Milwaukee Fire Department data. (Luthern, 11/30)

The Saint Paul Police Department is arming its officers in the ongoing battle to prevent opioid overdose deaths. The department is teaming up with Regions Hospital Emergency Medical Services to teach officers how to administer the opioid overdose antidote, Narcan. (Sapong, 11/30)