opioid epidemic News

Study Shows Need for Drug Programs for Construction Workers at Risk

Construction workers are more likely to use drugs than workers in other professions, finds a study by the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research at NYU College of Global Public Health. The study, published in the journal Drug and …

Settling Opioid Suits Probably Won’t End the Crisis: Viewpoint

Imagine you’re the chief executive officer of a large pharmaceutical corporation with an important drug that’s under attack. More than 2,500 lawsuits have been filed against your company. The plaintiffs aren’t individuals, though, they’re governments โ€” counties, cities and states. …

Actuaries Estimate Four Years of Opioid Crisis Cost Economy $631 Billion

The opioid epidemic cost the U.S. economy at least $631 billion from 2015 to 2018, according to a Society of Actuaries’ (SOA) analysis of non-medical opioid use during this timeframe. The SOA report, authored by Milliman, also projected future costs …

New York AG Tells Court Opioid Crisis Damage ‘Dwarfs’ Drugmakers’ Resources

The public cost of coping with the opioid crisis in the U.S. “dwarfs” the combined resources of the companies sued for allegedly causing the epidemic, including OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP, a lawyer for New York State told a judge. …

City of Vancouver Files Lawsuit Against Major Opioid Producers, Suppliers

The city of Vancouver has filed a lawsuit against major opioid producers and suppliers, joining a long list of cities seeking restitution for the drug’s impact on their communities. The Columbian reports the lawsuit filed this week in U.S. District …

How Medical Community Can Overcome Error of Its Ways in Opioids and Vaping: Opinion

When the medical community makes mistakes, it’s like shooting down a few hundred airplanes every year. That’s a dramatic metaphor that has stuck in my mind since I first heard it from a doctor, and an apt way to describe …

Facing Thousands of Opioid Lawsuits, Purdue Pharma Files for Bankruptcy Protection

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP filed for bankruptcy protection Sunday night, succumbing to pressure from more than 2,600 lawsuits alleging the company helped fuel the deadly U.S. opioid epidemic. Purdue’s board met Sunday evening to approve the long-expected bankruptcy filing, …

Overdose Deaths Again Rise More in Urban Than Rural Communities

U.S. drug overdose deaths had been most common in Appalachia and other rural areas in recent years, but they are back to being more concentrated in big cities, according to a government report Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and …

State’s Purdue Opioid Suit Tests Holding Family, Purdue Directors Liable for Crisis

Massachusetts took Purdue Pharma LP to task in a Boston courtroom Friday, blaming the opioid maker and the billionaire Sackler family that owns it for causing “thousands of people to suffer and many to die.” The state has proof Purdue …

Fewer Injured Workers Receiving Opioids Under Workers’ Compensation But States Vary

Fewer injured workers are receiving opioids to treat pain than in previous years, as medical providers are turning more to non-opioid medications and physical therapies. A new study of injured worker claims from 27 states by the Workers Compensation Research …