efforts to curb opioid abuse News

Hospitals in Mississippi, Alabama Sue Opioid Manufacturers Over Addiction Costs

Hospitals in Mississippi and Alabama are suing more than a dozen pharmaceutical companies, claiming the companies deceptively marketed and sold opioids. The Clarion Ledger reports the class-action federal lawsuit was filed Nov. 30 in Mississippi by Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical …

2 Kentucky Counties to Sue Drug Companies Over Opioid Epidemic

Officials in two Kentucky counties have voted to hire attorneys to file lawsuits against wholesale drug distributors to help pay for the costs of combating the opioid epidemic. The Kentucky Enquirer reports Boone and Kenton counties approved the measures last …

North Carolina House Passes Bill to Fight Opioid Abuse

Legislation to reduce opioid abuse and overdoses has passed the North Carolina House with unanimous bipartisan support. The House approved the measure April 10 that strengthens requirements for doctors and pharmacists on the use a statewide controlled substance database. Doctors …

South Carolina Lawmakers File 10 Bills Aimed at Curbing Opioid Abuse

House Republicans filed 10 proposals Wednesday aimed at curbing South Carolina’s rampant prescription painkiller problem and promised more legislation would follow. “We wanted to get the ball rolling. This is just the first step,” said Rep. Eric Bedingfield, R-Belton, one …

How Medical Schools Are Altering Their Training to Address Opioid Epidemic

At first, the woman tried to hide her painkiller problem. She told the doctor that she still had pain from her past pregnancy, and that she just wanted a refill on her pain medication. After a few questions, though, she …

New Jersey Hospital Cutting Down on Opioids in Emergency Room

Mark Rosenberg doesn’t need to go to his job as chairman of emergency medicine at New Jersey’s busiest emergency room to get a bracing insight into the mushrooming problem of opioid abuse. He can think of his own mother-in-law, who …

Maine Bill Seeks Strong Limits on Opioid Prescriptions

The Maine Legislature is poised to pass a bill sponsored by Gov. Paul LePage that would put the state on the front line of a national movement to monitor and restrict opioid painkillers. The Republican’s bill would limit prescriptions to …

AIA Applauds Mass. Gov. Baker’s Signing of Opioid Abuse Legislation

The American Insurance Association (AIA) lauded Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker for signing comprehensive opioid abuse legislation (H 4046) Monday. Opioids are synthetic versions of opium-derived drugs, many of which were initially developed to treat end-stage cancers and now are increasingly …