Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Wants To Take Opioid Manufacturers To Court
In a cabinet meeting Thursday at the White House, Mr. Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to bring federal lawsuits against certain companies supplying opioids to hospitals, rather than joining state lawsuits. He also charged Mr. Sessions with investigating fentanyl coming from China and Mexico, countries he said were 鈥渟ending their garbage and killing our people.鈥 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost a form of warfare,鈥 Mr. Trump said. Mr. Sessions said he would follow Mr. Trump鈥檚 request. (Ballhaus, 8/16)
President Donald Trump said Thursday he wants the U.S. government to sue pharmaceutical companies that manufacture opioids as part of his efforts to halt an epidemic of drug addiction. Trump said he鈥檇 like to bring a federal lawsuit, rather than just join existing litigation against the drugmakers. (Sink and Edney, 8/16)
President Donald Trump is asking Attorney General Jeff Sessions to file a federal lawsuit against certain companies that supply and manufacture opioids. Speaking during a Cabinet meeting Thursday, Trump said he鈥檚 directing Sessions to file a separate lawsuit, rather than joining existing lawsuits filed by states affected by the spread of the often-lethal, highly-addictive drugs. (Superville, 8/16)
President Trump聽on Thursday聽urged Attorney General Jeff Sessions to bring a federal lawsuit against drug companies that produce opioids.聽聽Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, the president also asked his embattled attorney general to look at opioid drugs coming into the country from China and Mexico,聽saying those countries were 鈥渟ending their garbage and killing our people.鈥 (Fabian and Weixel, 8/16)
Meanwhile, Purdue Pharma prepares for lawsuit liabilities -
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP has tapped law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP for financial restructuring advice, as its potential liabilities swell with a wave of lawsuits over the opioid addiction epidemic sweeping the United States, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. (DiNapoli and Raymond, 8/16)
In other administration news -
The Trump administration is using new powers to propose a significant decrease in how many opioids drug companies can manufacture in the U.S. in 2019.聽The Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are proposing an average聽10 percent decrease next year in the manufacturing quotas for six frequently misused opioids.聽(Hellmann, 8/16)
