opioid epidemic

The presence of the hepatitis C virus in donated hearts and organs for transplantation wasn't an impediment for a successful result for recipients.

Health & Safety

Hepatitis C Not A Barrier For Organ Transplantation, Study Finds

8:52pm April 03, 2019

by Richard Harris

Researchers found that antiviral drugs are effective in preventing transmission of the hepatitis C virus from donated hearts and lungs to recipients. The result could help reduce organ wait times.

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Alan Krueger, a Princeton University economist and chairman of former President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, specialized in workforce economics.

Ex-White House Economist Alan Krueger Dies; Saw Lessons For Economy In Rock Music

6:00pm March 18, 2019

by Scott Horsley

Princeton economist Alan Krueger, who served in the Obama White House, has died. Krueger's research interests included the minimum wage, the opioid epidemic and rock 'n' roll. He was 58.

"What's important to me is that the facts come to light, and we get justice and accountability," Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said about litigation that has made internal Purdue Pharma documents public.

Health & Safety

Opioid Litigation Brings Company Secrets Into The Public Eye

10:35am March 13, 2019

by Brian Mann

Lawsuits over the way drugmakers have marketed opioids are already putting a dent in companies' reputations. Litigation has forced the release of internal documents that are shifting the narrative.

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U.S. Attorney William McSwain and colleagues announced a civil lawsuit Wednesday in Philadelphia against the nonprofit Safehouse. "We have a responsibility to step in," McSwain says, though he adds, "We're not bringing a criminal case right now."

U.S. Prosecutors Sue To Stop Nation's First Supervised Injection Site For Opioids

3:47pm February 06, 2019

by Bobby Allyn

The U.S. government is intervening to stop the creation of a medical facility in Philadelphia where people could inject heroin without risk of overdose. Canada and Europe already have such sites.

Families that lost loved ones to the opioid crisis protested outside Suffolk Superior Court in Boston as lawyers for Purdue Pharma entered the courthouse for a status update in the Massachusetts attorney general's suit against the company on Jan. 25.

Lawsuit Details How The Sackler Family Allegedly Built An OxyContin Fortune

1:50pm February 01, 2019

The Massachusetts attorney general alleges that the family behind Purdue Pharma knew that OxyContin was causing overdoses, yet continued to cash in. New documents in the case were released Thursday.

Americans now have a 1 in 96 chance of dying from an opioid overdose, according to new analysis from the National Safety Council.

Report: Americans Are Now More Likely To Die Of An Opioid Overdose Than On The Road

2:28pm January 14, 2019

by Ian Stewart

Americans now have a 1 in 96 chance of dying from an opioid overdose, according to new analysis from the National Safety Council.

Syringes of fentanyl, an opioid painkiller, sit in an inpatient facility in Salt Lake City. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid-related overdoses have contributed to the life expectancy drop in the U.S.

U.S. Life Expectancy Drops Amid 'Disturbing' Rise In Overdoses And Suicides

3:02pm November 29, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

"These sobering statistics are a wakeup call that we are losing too many Americans, too early and too often, to conditions that are preventable," says CDC Director Robert Redfield.

Health & Safety

We're Living Longer ... But A Medical Journal Sees Many Causes For Alarm

11:31am November 27, 2018

by Joanne Silberner

Life expectancy is up. The death rate for young children is down. So why is Dr. Richard Horton, editor of 'The Lancet,' worried about global health?

A Philadelphia police officer holds a package of the overdose antidote naloxone while on patrol in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia in April 2017.

Health & Safety

Opioid Antidote Can Save Lives, But Deciding When To Use It Can Be Challenging

3:24pm October 29, 2018

by Nina Feldman

Public health officials says it's simple to save the lives of people experiencing an opioid overdose: Give an antidote. But for a bystander, that intervention can be daunting.

Nine-year-old Gabriella Santamaria holds up a picture of her uncle Stephen who died from a heroin overdose during a 2017 candlelight vigil for victims of drug addiction in Staten Island.

Opioid Deaths May Be Starting To Plateau, HHS Chief Says

7:47am October 24, 2018

by Emily Sullivan

Overdose deaths started to level off near the end of 2017 and are "finally bending in the right direction," says Alex Azar, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, citing early data.