The Biden Administration vowed to be a leading voice on opioid settlements but has gone quiet
1 year, 11 months ago

The Biden Administration vowed to be a leading voice on opioid settlements but has gone quiet

Salon  

Early in President Joe Biden's tenure, his administration promised to play a key role in ensuring opioid settlement funds went toward tackling the nation's addiction crisis. The Office of National Drug Control Policy told KFF Health News it regularly discusses the use of settlement dollars with governors, mayors, and other elected officials to ensure the money bolsters federal efforts already underway. That's why the administration helped create a model law, as "a blueprint for states and communities on evidence-based ways to use opioid settlement funds," he said. Myers, of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, put it this way: "States will only listen to the federal government if there's a financial reason to do so." But Regina LaBelle, who was acting director of national drug control policy during Biden's early years and now works for Georgetown University's O'Neill Institute, said the federal government has managed to guide state policy on controversial topics before.

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History of this topic

How are states spending their opioid settlement cash? Look yours up in this database
3 months, 1 week ago

How are states spending their opioid settlement cash? Look yours up in this database

NPR  

How are states spending their opioid settlement cash? Look yours up in this database toggle caption Celia Talbot Tobin for KFF Health News In the past few years, state and local governments across the U.S. have begun spending billions in opioid settlements paid by companies accused of fueling the overdose crisis. Across the country, the money supports other innovative treatment …

How should the opioid settlements be spent? Those hit hardest often don’t have a say
3 months, 2 weeks ago

How should the opioid settlements be spent? Those hit hardest often don’t have a say

Associated Press  

People with substance use disorder across the country are not getting a formal say in how most of the approximately $50 billion in opioid lawsuit settlement money is being used to stem the crisis, a new analysis found. Brandon Marshall, a professor of epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health and a former member of the Rhode Island …

We checked up on the states that promise transparency on opioid settlement funds
4 months, 2 weeks ago

We checked up on the states that promise transparency on opioid settlement funds

NPR  

We checked up on the states that promise transparency on opioid settlement funds toggle caption Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images To discover how millions in opioid settlement funds are being spent in Idaho, you can visit the attorney general’s website, which hosts 91 documents from state and local entities getting the money. Victims of the crisis, advocates, and public policy …

In California, opioid settlement money helps fund lifesaving drugs and police projects
8 months, 1 week ago

In California, opioid settlement money helps fund lifesaving drugs and police projects

LA Times  

Sonja Verdugo distributes naloxone, clean needles and other products aimed at reducing risk among those living in homeless encampments around Los Angeles. In California, local governments must report how they spend settlement funds to the state’s Department of Health Care Services, but there’s no requirement that the reports be made public. The opioid settlement money “was invaluable,” Corina Hahn, the …

Maine attorney general announces resource center to aid local opioid settlement spending
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Maine attorney general announces resource center to aid local opioid settlement spending

Associated Press  

The attorney general’s office is putting nearly $2.5 million toward a resource center that will offer assistance to Maine counties, cities and towns as they decide how to spend opioid settlement funds, Attorney General Aaron Frey told The Maine Monitor in an exclusive interview. In June, Frey’s office signed a contract with the University of Southern Maine’s Catherine Cutler Institute …

Arizona AG sues governor for attempt to swipe opioid funding for Department of Corrections
9 months ago

Arizona AG sues governor for attempt to swipe opioid funding for Department of Corrections

Salon  

An Arizona judge has temporarily blocked Governor Katie Hobbs from accessing the state’s share of a national opioid settlement to fill a budget gap, at the request of the state’s Democratic attorney general. Movement of a $115 million sum, part of Arizona’s $1.14 billion portion of the settlement funds from pharmaceutical companies that exacerbated an opioid crisis across the United …

Local governments struggle to distribute their share of billions from opioid settlements
10 months, 1 week ago

Local governments struggle to distribute their share of billions from opioid settlements

Associated Press  

Settlement money to help stem the decades-long opioid addiction and overdose epidemic is rolling out to small towns and big cities across the U.S., but advocates worry that chunks of it may be used in ways that don’t make a dent in the crisis. As state and local governments navigate how to use the money, advocates say local governments may …

As billions roll in to fight the US opioid epidemic, one county shows how recovery can work
1 year, 4 months ago

As billions roll in to fight the US opioid epidemic, one county shows how recovery can work

Associated Press  

FINDLAY, Ohio — Communities ravaged by America’s opioid epidemic are starting to get their share of a $50 billion pie from legal settlements. Jesse Johnson of the Family Resource Center, right, walks with client Tyler Baker to the Hancock County Adult Probation office for a random drug test in Findlay, Ohio, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. Tyler Baker retrieves fentanyl from …

"Problematic" use of opioid settlement money opposed by coalition of public health organizations
1 year, 7 months ago

"Problematic" use of opioid settlement money opposed by coalition of public health organizations

Salon  

After years of litigation against pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers, money is starting to be distributed to communities affected by the opioid overdose crisis following reached settlements. But a coalition of more than 130 public health groups claims the way in which some states are using the funds is "problematic." "Secured through the suffering of people who use drugs and their …

LOCALIZE IT: State and local governments figuring out how to use opioid settlement money
1 year, 9 months ago

LOCALIZE IT: State and local governments figuring out how to use opioid settlement money

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS: A federal court …

Biden to launch new war on fentanyl at State of the Union after GOP claims of apathy
2 years, 1 month ago

Biden to launch new war on fentanyl at State of the Union after GOP claims of apathy

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Dr Rahul Gupta, the head of the White House Office of National Drug Control …

Group makes first funding award to combat opioid epidemic
2 years, 1 month ago

Group makes first funding award to combat opioid epidemic

Associated Press  

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A Kentucky commission assigned to distribute money from a massive settlement with opioid companies has made its first funding award to help combat the state’s opioid epidemic, Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Tuesday. “This award of opioid settlement dollars is the first step toward bringing hope and help to Kentuckians struggling with substance use disorder,” Cameron said …

Advocates seek more say in how opioid settlements are spent
2 years, 5 months ago

Advocates seek more say in how opioid settlements are spent

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The tattoos on Billie Stafford’s hands — inspired by street art and full of references to her work helping prevent drug-related deaths — have become an indelible memorial to the friend who inked them and the opioid crisis that killed him in April. “They don’t have to come and write 20 names on a wall because everyone’s …

Maine opioid settlement money to go to fund, municipalities
3 years, 1 month ago

Maine opioid settlement money to go to fund, municipalities

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Maine — Half of Maine’s money from an opioid settlement will go to a recovery fund that will be tasked with making decisions on how to use the funds to mitigate the opioid epidemic in the state. Frey said he has reached an agreement with cities, counties and school districts in the state about the use of the settlement …

US drug companies say $26bn opioid settlement will proceed
3 years, 6 months ago

US drug companies say $26bn opioid settlement will proceed

Al Jazeera  

Companies say ‘enough’ US states joined a settlement resolving claims they fuelled the opioid epidemic, allowing it to move ahead. Three large US drug distributors and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson will proceed with a proposed $26bn settlement resolving claims that they fuelled the opioid epidemic after “enough” states joined in, the companies said. The companies had until Saturday to decide …

‘Not nearly good enough’: State officials urge support of $26bn opioid settlement, but not everyone is convinced
3 years, 8 months ago

‘Not nearly good enough’: State officials urge support of $26bn opioid settlement, but not everyone is convinced

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The attorneys general of …

Experts: Spend opioid settlement funds on fighting opioids
3 years, 8 months ago

Experts: Spend opioid settlement funds on fighting opioids

Associated Press  

As a $26 billion settlement over the toll of opioids looms, some public health experts are citing the 1998 agreement with tobacco companies as a cautionary tale of runaway government spending and missed opportunities for saving more lives. “And I think it’s critical that the opioid settlement dollars are spent wisely.” Lawyers for states and local governments and the companies …

US opioid lawsuits on verge of settlements with 4 companies
3 years, 8 months ago

US opioid lawsuits on verge of settlements with 4 companies

Associated Press  

The yearslong effort by state and local governments in the U.S. to force the pharmaceutical industry to help pay to fix a nationwide opioid addiction and overdose crisis took a major step forward Tuesday when lawyers for local governments announced they were on the verge of a $26 billion settlement with the nation’s three biggest drug distribution companies and the …

State Attorneys General Reach A $26 Billion National Opioid Settlement
3 years, 8 months ago

State Attorneys General Reach A $26 Billion National Opioid Settlement

NPR  

State Attorneys General Reach A $26 Billion National Opioid Settlement Enlarge this image toggle caption Steven Senne/AP Steven Senne/AP A bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general announced on Wednesday a $26 billion national settlement with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and three companies that distributed opioid painkillers even as addiction and overdose deaths skyrocketed. "The opioid epidemic has torn families apart …

Major drug companies reach landmark $26bn US opioid settlement
3 years, 8 months ago

Major drug companies reach landmark $26bn US opioid settlement

Al Jazeera  

The deal is the second-largest cash settlement in United States history, trailing only the $246bn tobacco deal in 1998. A group of state attorneys general in the United States has unveiled a landmark $26bn settlement with major US drug companies accused of fuelling a deadly nationwide opioid epidemic, but some states were cool on the agreement. “There’s not enough money …

EXPLAINER: $26B opioid settlement big step, but not the end
3 years, 8 months ago

EXPLAINER: $26B opioid settlement big step, but not the end

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A $26 billion settlement between the three biggest U.S. drug distribution companies and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and thousands of states and municipalities that sued over the toll of the opioid crisis is certainly significant — but it is far from tying a neat bow on the tangle of still unresolved lawsuits surrounding the epidemic. In West …

States Are Near A $26 Billion Opioid Settlement With Drug Distributors
3 years, 8 months ago

States Are Near A $26 Billion Opioid Settlement With Drug Distributors

NPR  

States Are Near A $26 Billion Opioid Settlement With Drug Distributors Enlarge this image toggle caption Jeff Chiu/AP Jeff Chiu/AP A landmark national opioid settlement now being finalized would provide as much as $26 billion to states and communities struggling to respond to the opioid crisis. Sponsor Message The settlement's funds would be paid out over a 17-year period by …

Op-Ed: Who is responsible for the opioid crisis, and who ultimately pays?
3 years, 8 months ago

Op-Ed: Who is responsible for the opioid crisis, and who ultimately pays?

LA Times  

Containers made to look like OxyContin prescription pill bottles in front of the Department of Health and Human Services as part of a 2019 protest against the government’s opioid prescription drug approval practices. Among the things that had mangled the lives of folks in the Bottoms was addiction to what everyone by then called “OC.” OC was an abbreviation for …

Opioid settlement still elusive as some lawyers criticize it
5 years, 1 month ago

Opioid settlement still elusive as some lawyers criticize it

Associated Press  

State attorneys general are finding a national settlement over the toll of opioids to be elusive, as some lawyers for state and local governments are renewing public criticism of the proposed deal with a group of companies led by the nation’s largest drug distributors. In a statement Friday, Patrick Morrisey, the attorney general in West Virginia, one of the states …

Over 20 State Attorneys General Reject $18 Billion Opioid Settlement Proposal
5 years, 1 month ago

Over 20 State Attorneys General Reject $18 Billion Opioid Settlement Proposal

NPR  

Over 20 State Attorneys General Reject $18 Billion Opioid Settlement Proposal MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: Efforts to reach a big national opioid settlement have hit another snag. More than 20 state attorneys general have signed a letter rejecting an $18 billion deal proposed by three of the country's biggest opioid wholesalers. So a lot of these state attorneys general want …

In 2019, The Legal Fight Over Opioids Unraveled Into Confusion And Infighting
5 years, 2 months ago

In 2019, The Legal Fight Over Opioids Unraveled Into Confusion And Infighting

NPR  

In 2019, The Legal Fight Over Opioids Unraveled Into Confusion And Infighting Enlarge this image toggle caption Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images Legal experts expected this to be the year we answered big questions about the liability that drug companies face for the deadly opioid epidemic and for their role in marketing high-risk prescription pain …

Opioid crisis: 4 pharmaceutical companies accused in the opioid epidemic reach a $260 million settlement just before trial
5 years, 5 months ago

Opioid crisis: 4 pharmaceutical companies accused in the opioid epidemic reach a $260 million settlement just before trial

CNN  

CNN — Hours before the first federal trial in the opioid epidemic was set to begin, four pharmaceutical companies reached a settlement totaling $260 million. The four companies – McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., AmerisourceBergen Corp. and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. – reached a settlement Monday morning with the two plaintiffs, Summit and Cuyahoga counties in Ohio. The distributors remain …

Opioid settlement talks stall, with trial expected on Monday
5 years, 5 months ago

Opioid settlement talks stall, with trial expected on Monday

Al Jazeera  

With negotiations not resolved before the scheduled start of court proceedings next week, the parties remain at odds. A landmark trial stemming from the United States opioid epidemic is expected to begin on Monday, after last-ditch talks to strike a multibillion-dollar settlement faltered on Friday, according to a lawyer for US local governments. The thousands of towns and counties that …

Three drug firms in settlement talks over US opioid crisis – WSJ
5 years, 5 months ago

Three drug firms in settlement talks over US opioid crisis – WSJ

Al Jazeera  

Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceuticals have also offered billions in settlements ahead of trials, Bloomberg reports. Three drug distributors are in talks with state and local governments in the United States to settle thousands of opioid lawsuits for $18bn, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the discussions. If the three companies reach a settlement …

Your Guide To The Massive (And Massively Complex) Opioid Litigation
5 years, 5 months ago

Your Guide To The Massive (And Massively Complex) Opioid Litigation

NPR  

Your Guide To The Massive Opioid Litigation Enlarge this image toggle caption John Moore/Getty Images John Moore/Getty Images Updated at 3:30 p.m. Up until recently, the list included more than 2,500 cities, counties, tribal authorities and individuals from across the U.S. — from Tacoma, Wash., to Cumberland County, Ky. That number exploded last month when Judge Polster, who has repeatedly …

Trump's War On Obamacare Is Also A War On Opioid Treatment
5 years, 6 months ago

Trump's War On Obamacare Is Also A War On Opioid Treatment

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING INKSTER, Mich. ― Cassandra Barnes was barely conscious and mumbling incoherently when her sister and son discovered her sprawled across the bed. But that success won’t last, and future substance abuse patients might not be able to get the care that Barnes has, if the Republican crusade against “Obamacare” doesn’t relent. “Knowing that a much greater proportion …

Chaotic talks show challenge of reaching opioid settlement
5 years, 6 months ago

Chaotic talks show challenge of reaching opioid settlement

Associated Press  

For months, the judge overseeing national litigation over the opioids crisis urged all sides to reach a settlement that could end thousands of lawsuits filed by state and local governments. By Thursday, half of the nation’s state attorneys general said they would reject a tentative deal crafted by the other half, and many criticized the terms as grossly insufficient. Purdue …

As opioid settlements grow, so do questions about the money
5 years, 6 months ago

As opioid settlements grow, so do questions about the money

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s legal fight against the opioid industry has racked up settlements and judgments of nearly $1 billion, but as the numbers keep rising, so do concerns over how that money will be spent. “We get applications every day from people who want help but don’t have the funds to come into our program,” said Lance Lang, who …

Oklahoma lawmakers grumble openly about opioid settlement
5 years, 11 months ago

Oklahoma lawmakers grumble openly about opioid settlement

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — A $270 million settlement between the state of Oklahoma and the maker of OxyContin praised last week as an innovative way to help combat opioid addiction is facing bipartisan criticism from Oklahoma lawmakers who say the state’s attorney general overstepped his authority. “On reflection, I wish there was a way I could have consulted them, but I …

DOJ to support lawsuits against companies selling opioids
7 years ago

DOJ to support lawsuits against companies selling opioids

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Tuesday it will support local officials in hundreds of lawsuits against manufacturers and distributors of powerful opioid painkillers that are fueling the nation’s drug abuse crisis. The Justice Department will file a statement of interest in the multidistrict lawsuit, arguing the federal government has borne substantial costs as a result of the crisis that …

Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Al Franken call for action on opioid overdose reversal drug
7 years, 4 months ago

Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Al Franken call for action on opioid overdose reversal drug

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON As President Donald Trump announced that the opioid epidemic is a public health emergency, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken called on Trump to allow the government to negotiate lower prices for an opioid overdose reversal drug. In a letter signed by other Democratic senators, they said that access to the drug naloxone is particularly important given the size …

Trump calls opioid epidemic an ‘emergency’ but offers few new resources to combat it
7 years, 4 months ago

Trump calls opioid epidemic an ‘emergency’ but offers few new resources to combat it

LA Times  

President Trump made sweeping new promises Thursday to mobilize the federal government against the deadly opioid epidemic, but his language contrasted sharply with an order that stopped well short of a major new commitment of resources for a crisis that last year killed more than 64,000 Americans. The new order will allow some limited new steps, such as enabling patients …

The U.S. should rethink its entire approach to painkillers and the people addicted to them, panel urges
7 years, 8 months ago

The U.S. should rethink its entire approach to painkillers and the people addicted to them, panel urges

LA Times  

The report said some who are dependent on painkillers will turn to street drugs such as fentanyl and heroin. Dr. Leana Wen, health commissioner for the city of Baltimore, said the new report’s recommendations are “hard to argue with, because they are comprehensive and evidence-based.” But Wen, who has been an outspoken voice for broader access to addiction treatment, said …

Communities Key To Fighting Opioid Crisis, HHS Secretary Says
7 years, 10 months ago

Communities Key To Fighting Opioid Crisis, HHS Secretary Says

NPR  

Communities Key To Fighting Opioid Crisis, HHS Secretary Says Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Harnik/AP Andrew Harnik/AP In March, President Trump called opioid abuse in the U.S. "a total epidemic," and issued an executive order creating a commission focused on combating the opioid crisis. He talked about his agency's role in combating drug addiction, as well as the potential …

The Obama administration just announced a new policy on opioids that has doctors celebrating.
8 years, 8 months ago

The Obama administration just announced a new policy on opioids that has doctors celebrating.

Slate  

This week, the Obama administration announced several proposed changes to address the opioid and heroin crisis in this country, some of which may favorably influence the broken culture of pain management in the United States today. The administration’s announcement contained one detail in particular that may sound minor but actually is a significant victory for pain experts who have been …

Obama Administration Eases Restrictions On Doctors Who Treat Opioid Addiction
8 years, 8 months ago

Obama Administration Eases Restrictions On Doctors Who Treat Opioid Addiction

NPR  

Obama Administration Eases Restrictions On Doctors Who Treat Opioid Addiction Enlarge this image toggle caption Jamie Grill/Getty Images Jamie Grill/Getty Images The Obama administration is making it easier for people addicted to opioids to get treatment. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell announced new rules Wednesday to loosen restrictions on doctors who treat people addicted to heroin and opioid …

President Obama seeks $1.1 billion to fight heroin and opiate epidemic
9 years, 1 month ago

President Obama seeks $1.1 billion to fight heroin and opiate epidemic

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy As heroin- and opioid-related …

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