opioid epidemic

Akron fire medic Paul Drouhard shows a box containing naloxone hydrochloride, a drug carried in all their department emergency response vehicles to treat opioid overdose patients.

In Opioid Settlement, Johnson & Johnson Agrees To Pay Ohio Counties $20 Million

10:00am October 02, 2019

by Scott Neuman

The agreement removes the drugmaker from the list of defendants in an upcoming federal opioid trial and follows an August settlement in Oklahoma in which it agreed to pay $572 million.

Purdue Pharma's headquarters in Stamford, Conn., seen earlier this month. The OxyContin manufacturer has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but some want the company's owners to face criminal charges over the opioid crisis.

Health & Safety

As Drugmakers Face Opioid Lawsuits, Some Ask: Why Not Criminal Charges Too?

7:11pm September 19, 2019

by Brian Mann

"The Sackler family does not belong in bankruptcy court," Rep. Max Rose said of Purdue Pharma's owners. "They belong in handcuffs." He and others want charges for drug companies linked to the crisis.

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Health & Safety

North Carolina Highlighted In National Roadmap For Opioid Crisis

9:47am September 10, 2019

by Bethany Chafin

North Carolina and its approach to the opioid crisis are highlighted in a new report by the American Medical Association and

Purdue Pharma and other health care giants are discussing potential deals with authorities that could resolve thousands of lawsuits they are facing over the U.S. opioid epidemic.

Health & Safety

Several Big Drug Companies Considering Massive Settlements To Resolve Opioid Suits

6:02pm August 28, 2019

Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson and other health care giants are discussing potential deals with authorities that could resolve thousands of lawsuits they're facing over the U.S. opioid epidemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that most new heroin addicts first became hooked on prescription painkillers, such as oxycodone, before graduating to heroin, which is cheaper.

Health & Safety

Tales Of Corporate Painkiller Pushing: 'The Death Rates Just Soared'

4:23pm August 22, 2019

by Dave Davies

Washington Post journalist Scott Higham says recently released evidence shows the drug industry purposely shipped big quantities of opioids to communities without regard for how they were being used.

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Leah Esguerra (right), who is credited with being the first social worker installed directly at a public library, strolls through the fifth floor of the San Francisco Public Library's main branch, joined by the library's health and safety associates (from

Books
Arts

Your Local Library May Have A New Offering In Stock: A Resident Social Worker

6:01pm July 17, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

Libraries have never been just about books; they're also crucial hubs of community support. Some are even expanding that role, and supporting their librarians, by bringing in trained social workers.

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Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter begins closing statements during the opioid trial at the Cleveland County Courthouse in Norman, Okla., on Monday, July 15. It's the first public trial to emerge from roughly 2,000 U.S. lawsuits aimed at holding drugma

Health & Safety

Pain Meds As Public Nuisance? Oklahoma Tests A Legal Strategy For Opioid Addiction

5:55pm July 16, 2019

by Jackie Fortier

The first civil trial against an opioid manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, has ended in Oklahoma. The verdict could affect lawsuits filed by other local and state governments coping with addiction.

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Suboxone Film strips dissolve when placed under the tongue and are used to treat patients suffering from opioid dependency. The medication is made by Indivior, which was spun off from U.K.-based Reckitt Benckiser in 2014.

Reckitt Benckiser Agrees To Pay $1.4 Billion In Opioid Settlement

6:00pm July 11, 2019

by Brian Mann

The deal to resolve all U.S. federal investigations and claims is the biggest drug industry settlement so far stemming from the nation's deadly opioid epidemic.

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Insys, the maker of fentanyl-based Subsys, agreed to a $225 million settlement with the federal government to resolve criminal and civil investigations of the company's role in the opioid crisis.

Opioid Maker Insys Admits To Bribing Doctors, Agrees To Pay $225 Million Settlement

10:23pm June 05, 2019

by Gabrielle Emanuel

The company agreed to make the payments to resolve federal criminal and civil investigations of its marketing practices. Five of its executives were convicted separately for the same practices.

Teva Pharmaceuticals has reached a settlement with the state of Oklahoma over its alleged role in fueling the opioid epidemic. In March, drugmaker Purdue Pharma agreed to a $270 million settlement.

National

Teva Pharmaceuticals Agrees To $85 Million Settlement With Oklahoma In Opioid Case

5:05pm May 26, 2019

by Shannon Van Sant

Oklahoma's attorney general had filed a lawsuit against the Israel-based company for its alleged role in fueling the opioid crisis.