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University, Federal Agency Partner to Fight Opioid Crisis
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) – A university in West Virginia will work with the investigative division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to fight the opioid crisis. The Herald-Dispatch reports Sen…. Read More
Several Big Drug Companies Considering Massive Settlements To Resolve Opioid Suits
Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson and other health care giants are discussing potential deals with authorities that could resolve thousands of lawsuits they’re facing over the U.S. opioid epidemic.
Bill Would Give State Authority Over Local Lawsuits Against Drug Makers
The family behind the maker of one of the main drugs blamed for the nation’s opioid crisis has reportedly offered $12 billion to settle a huge federal case in Cleveland. There… Read More
Ohio Awards Final Prizes in Opioid Science Challenge
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio has awarded the final round of prizes in its global technology challenge seeking scientific breakthroughs to address the U.S. opioid crisis. Four winners were announced… Read More
Oklahoma Judge Rules Against Drugmaker in Opioid Lawsuit, Orders $572M Payment
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma judge on Monday found Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries helped fuel the state’s opioid crisis and ordered the consumer products giant to pay… Read More
Court Lets Purdue Pharma Court Records be Made Public
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The secret testimony from former Purdue Pharma President Richard Sackler and other records in a Kentucky opioids lawsuit must be made public after the state Supreme… Read More
West Virginia AG Sues Opioid Makers, Says They Hid Risks
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia’s top prosecutor says he’s sued the major opioid makers Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA for misrepresenting the risks of their painkilling drugs…. Read More
Duo Hopes to Push Opioid Settlement Toward Hospitals
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — West Virginia University President Gordon Gee and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich are creating a nonprofit that will fight to steer cash from any national opioid… Read More
Former WV Deputy, Son Charged in Large Fentanyl Bust
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Authorities say a retired West Virginia sheriff’s deputy and his son have been indicted on federal drug charges. U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart on Thursday announced the… Read More
Feds: Pharmacy Ignored Red Flags When Filling Prescriptions
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say they’ve suspended a West Virginia pharmacy’s registration for improperly dispensing prescription drugs. U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart announced the suspension against Oak Hill Hometown… Read More
W.Va. Lawmakers Ask for Control of $37M Opioid Settlement
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – A group of West Virginia lawmakers want control of a recent $37 million opioid settlement with the drug distributor McKesson. Members of the House of Delegates… Read More
Ohio-Based Drug Company, 4 People Indicted in US Painkiller Probe
CINCINNATI (AP) — A wholesale drug distributor linked to the flood of opioids into Appalachia and two of its former executives were charged with conspiring to illegally distribute millions of… Read More
Buried in Opioids, Sickened Community Eyes Drugmakers’ Role
JACKSON, Ohio (AP) — The numbers are staggering: An average yearly total of 107 opioid pills per resident were distributed over a seven-year period in this rural Appalachian county. The… Read More
New Data Show Opioid Deaths May Have Peaked, And Reveal Scale Of Past Pain Pill Sales
Two newly released sets of government data show that the death toll from the nation’s opioid crisis may finally be dropping and also reveal the scale of the pain pill… Read More
Released Data Shows Spread of 76 Billion Opioid Pills
CLEVELAND (AP) — Newly public federal data shows how drug companies increased shipments of opioid painkillers across the U.S. as a national addiction crisis accelerated from 2006 to 2012. The… Read More
Architecture For Landmark Nationwide Opioid Settlement Unveiled
If finalized, such a deal could funnel tens of billions of dollars to American communities struggling with the addiction crisis, while restoring stability to one of the country’s biggest industries.
Insys Files For Chapter 11, Days After Landmark Opioid Settlement Of $225 Million
The maker of a highly addictive fentanyl-based drug wants to sell its assets to pay some $250 million in debts. The move could let the company out of part of the settlement deal reached last week.
W. Va. Joins Four Other States in Suing OxyContin Maker
CHARLESTON, West Virginia (AP) – Five state attorneys general have announced new lawsuits against the maker of OxyContin as they seek to hold the drug industry responsible for an opioid… Read More
West Virginia Settles Lawsuit With Drug Distributor for $37 Million
A major drug company has agreed to settle a lawsuit accusing it of contributing to the opioid epidemic in one of the Ohio Valley’s hardest hit states. And officials there… Read More
Judge: Former Opioid Advocate Can Testify Against Industry
A federal jury will be able to hear from a doctor who spent decades advocating for broader use of powerful prescription painkillers before turning against the opioid industry. A special… Read More
County Jails Struggle With A New Role As America’s Prime Centers For Opioid Detox
The National Sheriffs’ Association has published a detailed guide to jail-based medication-assisted treatment. States hardest hit by opioids are moving fastest to get inmates the help needed to quit.
Federal Opioid Strikeforce Indicts More Than A Dozen Ohio Valley Doctors
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday more than a dozen indictments against doctors in the Ohio Valley on charges relating to the illegal distribution of opioids. These are… Read More
China To Close Loophole On Fentanyl After U.S. Calls For Opioid Action
Some manufacturers evaded scrutiny by slightly modifying the molecular structures of substances. Monday’s announcement “puts a wider array of substances under regulation,” a Chinese official says.
ARC Provides Funds For Addiction Treatment Projects In Athens County and Kentucky
The Appalachian Regional Commission has awarded more than two million dollars to expand addiction treatment and recovery resources for women in rural regions of the Ohio Valley hit hard by… Read More
Ohio Budget Includes Funds for Narcotics Intelligence Center
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s budget plan includes funding to set up a state narcotics intelligence center to combat the opioid epidemic. The new center, which would… Read More