Opioid addiction is a widespread problem in the US, and opioid-related deaths have been on the rise for years -a trend the pandemic has accelerated.

Overdose fatalities hit a record high during the 12-month period ending May 2020, with more than 81,000 deaths.

Prosecutors called the doctor a "serial killer," and said he prescribed drugs from his car, an abandoned Radio Shack, and a Dunkin' Donuts.

The opioid epidemic claims about 128 lives in the US every day. But doctors are hoping deep brain stimulation can be used to treat severe cases and put a dent in that number. A man who was addicted to opioids for 18 years found sobriety after undergoing the surgery. We […]

Buvidal, an injectable form of Buprenorphine, acts as a slow-release drug and blocks the opioid receptors in the brain to stop patients from having withdrawal symptoms. It only has to be administered once a week or once a month, making it a good alternative to methadone which is often prescribed […]

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php The opioid epidemic claims about 128 lives every day in the US. But doctors are hoping a risky type of brain surgery can be used to treat addiction and put a dent in that number. We followed one former opioid addict of 18 years who found sobriety after undergoing […]

A New York Times article revealed how one Tennessee county is battling the opioid crisis in its area: training children to use Narcan, a nasal spray that could prevent a fatal drug overdose. The Carter County Drug Prevention Coalition estimated that they have provided Narcan training to 600 children and […]

The US life expectancy rose for the first time in four years, the CDC reported Thursday. Life expectancy had been declining or stable in large part due to the opioid crisis. The news is an encouraging reflection of improvements in cancer treatments and of efforts to curb the opioid crisis, […]

Rapper and music producer Timbaland, 47, recently talked about his addiction to the prescription pain killers Oxycontin and Percocet, and his road to recovery, in the January issue of Men’s Health. Timbaland, whose real name is Tim Mosley, said he became addicted to the drugs after he was prescribed them […]

First lady Melania Trump was booed for about 30 seconds at an opioid-awareness event attended by middle- and high-school students in Baltimore on Tuesday. The Trumps have a troubled relationship with the city. President Donald Trump made disparaging remarks about Baltimore in July, referring to it as a “disgusting rat- […]

Nine students at the University of Southern California have died this semester. Four of the 9 deaths are believed to have been caused by drug or alcohol overdoses. USC Vice President of Student Affairs sent a warning letter to students about the dangers of opioid use. It’s an issue that […]

Four healthcare firms who have been blamed for the opioid crisis reached a settlement ahead of a federal court case that was scheduled to begin on Monday. Drugmaker Teva and distributors AmerisourceBergen, McKesson, and Cardinal Health have agreed to a settlement with two Ohio counties worth $US260 million, according to […]

Hello, Welcome to another edition of Dispensed, the weekly healthcare newsletter where we’re busy compiling names for our DC power-players post (if you haven’t submitted a name, now’s your chance!). On this brisk autumn day, we’ll get right to the stories that filled our minds this week. But first, Are […]

The New York attorney general’s office said it found a previously unknown $US1 billion in wire transfers by the Sackler family, the owners of pharmaceutical giant Purdue Pharma. Authorities added that millions of dollars of the uncovered wire transfers involved Mortimer D.A. Sackler, a former Purdue board member who the […]

The drug company Purdue Pharma, the longtime maker of the prescription opioid OxyContin, has been accused of driving the US’s deadly opioid epidemic. Purdue and its owners, the billionaire Sackler family, now face thousands of lawsuits over those charges. A new settlement proposal could resolve those lawsuits with an unusual […]

Federal prosecutors in Ohio filed charges against a pharmaceutical wholesaler, two former executives, and two pharmacists for conspiring to illegally distribute millions of addictive prescription painkillers. The indictment says the charges were necessary to combat the company’s blatant profits off of vulnerable areas that are the hardest-hit by addiction as […]

New federal data reveals that America’s largest drug companies flooded the country with 76 billion oxycodone and hydrocodone pills in a seven-year period from 2006 to 2012, underscoring their role in manufacturing and distributing pills that helped fuel the nation’s opioid crisis. First reported by the Washington Post, the previously […]