opioid epidemic News

Government Data Shows How Opioid Epidemic Spread Across America

Newly released federal data shows how drugmakers and distributors increased shipments of opioid painkillers across the U.S. as the nation’s addiction crisis accelerated from 2006 to 2012. The data, released this week by a federal court in Ohio as part …

Purdue’s Sackler Family Must Face Opioid Suits in New York

The billionaire owners of Purdue Pharma LP must face a New York lawsuit claiming they triggered the U.S. opioid epidemic, a judge ruled, handing an early victory to states and local governments seeking to recoup billions of dollars in social …

Reuters Report: How Judges’ Secrecy Has Added to Toll of Opioids and Other Products

WELCH, West Virginia —The opioid epidemic that has so far killed half a million Americans is routinely blamed on greedy drug makers, feckless doctors and lax regulators. But there’s another group that has contributed to the depth and duration of …

Doctors Not to Blame for All Opioid Misuse; Friends, Family Also Played Roles

In a common narrative of the path to opioid misuse, people become addicted to painkillers after a doctor prescribed them pills to treat an injury and then, later, switch to harder drugs, such as heroin. However, non-medical opioid users were …

U.S. Charges New York Drug Firm Executives with Opioid Distribution Conspiracy

Federal prosecutors unveiled the first criminal charges against pharmaceutical executives for illegally diverting opioids, accusing the former chief executive officer and the head of compliance at a major U.S. drug distributor with a narcotics conspiracy. Laurence F. Doud III, who …

Doctor, Early Advocate for Opioids, to Testify Against Drug Makers: Reuters

A physician ally of Purdue Pharma LP whose views helped drive the explosive growth in the use of addictive pain relievers for common aches and pains in the United States has agreed to testify against the OxyContin maker and other …

Opioid Trial Winds Down; Insys Execs Deny Bribing Doctors, Duping Insurers

A U.S. prosecutor portrayed Insys Therapeutics Inc. founder John Kapoor and other former executives as greedy and heartless during closing arguments in their racketeering trial over the promotion of the opioid painkiller Subsys. Kapoor and four other ex-Insys managers “exploited” …

Purdue’s Sackler Family Asks Judge to Toss Massachusetts Opioid Case

Members of the Sackler family behind OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP have asked a judge to toss a lawsuit by Massachusetts’ attorney general claiming they helped fuel the U.S. opioid epidemic, arguing it contains “misleading and inflammatory allegations.” The wealthy …

Vermont Sues Two Prescription Opioid Distributors

Vermont filed a lawsuit against two pharmaceutical distributors, accusing them of selling ever-increasing amounts of prescription opioids in the state while failing to effectively monitor and control the sales and acknowledge the quantity of pills was outpacing the need. The …

Jurors Told How Insys Chief Used Competitors’ Data to Drive Own Opioid Sales

Insys Therapeutics Inc. founder John Kapoor didn’t cut corners when it came to collecting intelligence on opioid sales, using the data to beat down his employees and to spur doctors to prescribe more of his highly addictive painkiller, a Boston …