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Ohio drug overdose deaths are down, but the state efforts are ‘far from over’
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Unintentional drug overdose deaths are still officially on the decline statewide, Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health said Wednesday. After a… Read More
The opioid crisis disproportionately impacts Black Ohioans — so why aren’t more of them on the board dispersing settlement funds?
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WYSO) — Over the course of 18 years, Ohio and its communities are receiving nearly $2 billion from pharmaceutical companies to compensate for harm caused by opioids. The… Read More
Ohio’s tobacco settlement went up in smoke. It’s shaping how opioid settlement dollars are distributed
KENT, Ohio (The Ohio Newsroom) — Over the course of 18 years, Ohio and its communities are receiving nearly $2 billion from pharmaceutical companies to compensate for harm caused by opioids…. Read More
JD Vance will dissolve the last vestige of a mothballed charity and give its $11K to Appalachia
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican vice presidential nominee U.S. Sen. JD Vance is preparing to dissolve the vestiges of a charitable effort he launched in Ohio after publication of his best-selling memoir… Read More
Ohio’s highest court will decide if pharmacies distributing opioids created a public nuisance
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The Ohio Supreme Court will decide in the near future whether big chain pharmacies created a public nuisance—contributing to the opioid crisis through how they… Read More
Kroger agrees to pay up to $1.4 billion to settle opioid lawsuits
CINCINNATI (AP) — One of the nation’s largest grocery chains is the latest company to agree to settle lawsuits over the U.S. opioid crisis. In a deal announced Friday, the… Read More
Supreme Court temporarily blocks $6 billion Purdue Pharma-Sackler bankruptcy
WASHINGTON (NPR) — The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a controversial bankruptcy case involving Purdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin, and members of the Sackler family who own… Read More
A ruling clears the way for Purdue Pharma to settle opioid claims and protect the Sacklers from lawsuits
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal court ruling cleared the way Tuesday for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to settle thousands of legal claims over the toll of opioids. The 2nd… Read More
A new nasal spray to reverse fentanyl and other opioid overdoses gets FDA approval
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators on Monday approved a new easy-to-use version of a medication to reverse overdoses caused by fentanyl and other opioids driving the nation’s drug crisis…. Read More
Drug overdoses in the US slightly increased last year. But experts see hopeful signs
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. went up slightly last year after two big leaps during the pandemic. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the… Read More
The Biden administration says fentanyl-xylazine cocktail is a deadly national threat
WASHINGTON (NPR) — The U.S. government issued a grave new warning Wednesday about a cocktail of illegal street drugs made of fentanyl and xylazine that’s fueling another wave of American… Read More
A federal judge sides with 3 major drug distributors in a landmark opioid lawsuit
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday ruled in favor of three major U.S. drug distributors in a landmark lawsuit that accused them of causing a health crisis… Read More
Purdue Pharma agrees to a new opioid settlement with US states
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has reached a nationwide settlement over its role in the opioid crisis. The deal reached Thursday would require members of the Sackler… Read More
A Federal Judge Rejects A Government Bid To Delay Purdue Pharma’s Bankruptcy Settlement
Updated October 14, 2021 at 8:43 AM NEW YORK (NPR) — In a surprise ruling late Wednesday a federal judge in New York allowed work to continue on implementation of… Read More
Parkersburg Bars New Residential Drug Treatment Centers For A Year
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia city has approved a moratorium on residential drug treatment facilities. The Parkersburg News and Sentinel reports the Parkersburg City Council voted 8-1 Tuesday… Read More
US Opioid Lawsuits On Verge Of Settlements With 4 Companies
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — 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… Read More
Trial Against Opioid Distributors Set To Begin In W.Va.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A trial is set to start in a lawsuit filed in West Virginia accusing three drug distributors of fueling a local opioid epidemic with excessively large… Read More
Purdue Pharma Offers Restructuring Plan, Sackler Family Would Give Up Ownership
Under a bankruptcy plan filed late Monday, the OxyContin maker would pay $500 million up front, promising billions in future payments. Twenty-four states rejected the proposal.
Addiction In The Pandemic: The $350M Effort To Heal Communities In Opioid Crisis
MADISON COUNTY, Ky. (OVR) — The Madison County health department in Kentucky has kept its harm reduction program open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to continue its work against the other… Read More
WATCH: How A Powerful Corporate Consulting Firm Helped Create The Opioid Epidemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. (NewsHour) — The opioids crisis that has taken hundreds of thousands of American lives has received less attention in the pandemic, but drug overdoses and deaths have grown during… Read More
Ohio Valley States Will Reap $45M From Opioid Suit Settlement With McKinsey Consulting
LOUSIVILLE, Ky. (OVR) — Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia will collectively receive roughly $45 million as part of settlement agreements announced Thursday resolving lawsuits against consulting giant McKinsey & Company… Read More
Consulting Giant McKinsey To Settle Opioid Claims For $573 Million
McKinsey is the latest major American corporation to face legal, financial and public relations peril stemming from its role in the nation’s deadly opioid epidemic.
Ohio Saw Record Surge In Opioid Overdose Deaths Last Year
(WOUB) — Deaths from opioid overdoses hit a record high in Ohio last year. During the three months of the second quarter, the overdose death rate statewide was 11.01 per… Read More
Worsening Opioid Crisis Overshadowed In Presidential Race
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Like millions of Americans, Diane Urban watched the first presidential debate last month at home with her family. When it was over, she turned off the… Read More
Purdue Pharma Reaches $8B Opioid Deal With Justice Department Over Oxycontin Sales
Critics say the settlement doesn’t hold company executives or members of the Sackler family accountable for their aggressive marketing of Oxycontin which helped fuel the nation’s opioid epidemic.