Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Wearable Device To Block Pain From Opioid Withdraw Approved By FDA, But Some Are Skeptical
A wearable device claiming to block the pain of opioid withdrawal has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration under an expedited review process for medical devices. However, patient safety advocates note that the device has limited evidence for its effectiveness. The NSS-2 Bridge is a device that attaches to the ear and transmits small electrical pulses through four cranial nerves. It’s marketed by Indiana-based Innovative Health Solutions, and was cleared to treat chronic and acute pain in 2014. IHS can now market the device as one that reduces symptoms of opioid withdrawal including nausea, anxiety, and aches. (Blau, 11/15)
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and five others introduced bipartisan legislation Wednesday to strengthen opioid safety in the Department of Veterans Affairs. The legislation got a boost from Marvin and Linda Simcakoski, who traveled from Stevens Point to Washington, D.C., to support the effort. (Glauber, 11/15)
In other news on the crisis —
Phoenix will join several other cities, such as Chicago and Indianapolis, in taking massive drug companies to court over the national opioid-addiction crisis. The City Council voted 8-0 Wednesday to take legal action against drug manufacturers and distributors to recoup some of the money the city has spent fighting the opioid epidemic. (Boehm, 11/15)
The founder of a pharmaceutical company charged with leading a conspiracy to bribe doctors to prescribe a powerful opioid pain medication for people who didn’t need it is due in court in Massachusetts. John Kapoor of Insys Therapeutics Inc. was arrested in Arizona last month and is expected to make his first appearance in Boston’s federal courthouse on Thursday. (11/16)
For years the Food and Drug Administration has been trying to get doctors to quit prescribing codeine, an opioid painkiller, to children after getting their tonsils or adenoids out. But it can be hard to get clinicians to change their prescribing habits, even when children have died and other less risky medications are available. (Jochem, 11/16)
As Cardinal Health continues to face lawsuits over its alleged role in stoking the national opioid crisis, the company on Thursday is scheduled to announce a sweeping program in Appalachia aimed at combating drug abuse. Its Opioid Action Program, in cooperation with local partners in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia, is being called a pilot program that could be expanded over time. (Rose, 11/16)
