CNN: White House prioritizes opioid abuse in first national drug control strategy
By Maegan Vazquez
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy outlined its top priorities for combating illicit drug abuse and distribution in the United States in the office’s first National Drug Control Strategy.
The Boston Globe: Limiting opioid prescriptions will do little to reduce overdose deaths, study says
By Felice J. Freyer
A study published in JAMA Network Open finds that reducing opioid prescriptions will have little effect on the death rate over the next few years, now that the epidemic is dominated by heroin and illicit fentanyl.
CNBC: FDA clears the way to increase access and lower cost of life-saving opioid overdose treatment drug
By Angelica LaVito
The Food and Drug Administration is clearing the way for drug companies to increase access and lower the cost of a life-saving drug used to treat opioid overdoses.
US News & World Report: Addressing Prescription Drug Addiction in Older Adults
By Michael O. Schroeder
While younger people face higher rates of addiction, the problem is growing in those 50 and older.
The Washington Post: Combating the opioid crisis one doctor at a time
By Carolyn Y. Johnson
There is a fledgling movement co-opting the drug industry’s tactics to deliver a different message to doctors — that narcotics are not only addictive but also often no better at managing pain than safer, over-the-counter medicines.
Consumer Reports: Can CBD Treat Opioid Addiction?
By Rachel Rabkin Peachman
The popular cannabis compound may help some people wean off addictive pain meds
The New York Times: Study Links Drug Maker Gifts for Doctors to More Overdose Deaths
By Abby Goodnough
Counties where doctors got more meals, trips and consulting fees from opioid makers had higher overdose deaths involving prescription opioids.
The New York Times: Opioid Lawsuits Are Headed to Trial. Here’s Why the Stakes Are Getting Uglier.
By Jan Hoffman
The judge presiding over all the federal cases had hoped to settle them by now. But the behemoth litigation is only becoming more bloated, contentious and difficult to resolve.
The Guardian: FDA’s opioids adviser accuses agency of having ‘direct’ link to crisis
By Chris McGreal
Exclusive: head of Food and Drug Administration’s opioid advisory team says officials are manipulating process to benefit big pharma
The New York Times: Drinking While Pregnant: An Inconvenient Truth
By Jen Gunter, MD
Recommending that pregnant women not drink alcohol has been called old-fashioned and even patriarchal. So, as a feminist, my opinion may come as a surprise.
NPR: Antidepressants Can Interfere With Pain Relief Of Common Opioids
By Jonathan Lambert
Antidepressants may dampen the effects of some common opioids, resulting in less effective pain management according to research findings.