Drugmakers, doctors and regulators have been blamed by many for America’s opioid crisis. But judges are also culpable, a Reuters investigation found. Numerous judges who have—and are—adjudicating cases against Purdue Pharma have allowed damning evidence against the…
David Sackler says his family isn’t to blame for the opioid crisis. In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair, Sackler hit back against widespread accusations that the family firm, Purdue Pharma, spurred the crisis with aggressive and misleading marketing of OxyContin.
Buprenorphine can be lifesaving for people with substance use issues—but only if they can get it. In a new Annals of Internal Medicine study, researchers posing as heroin users called 546 prescribers in states with the highest overdose death rates.
Last year, it looked like 2 million babies would go without the crucial vaccine for rotavirus, a disease that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration and kills 200,000 children and babies every year. After 6 years, Merck & Co scrapped a deal to supply RotaTeq vaccines…
A landmark trial beginning today in Oklahoma will delve into the origins of the opioid crisis that’s killing 130 people a day, Politico reports.
World Health Assembly delegates agreed to press for more transparency on drug pricing today—but stopped short of compelling pharmaceutical companies to disclose R&D costs, Reuters reports.
Abby Goudnough tells the story of how cheaper-to-produce, deadlier fentanyl is edging out heroin in cities dotting the US Eastern Seaboard—putting people at greater risk of overdose. The Quote: “The diminishing supply should be a victory for public health and law…
An abstinence-focused Alcoholics Anonymous program in Indonesia helped Sam Nugraha recover from heroin addiction—although the approach felt foreign to him, having grown up in the Malu culture that emphasizes concealing feelings. Now, Nugraha runs a rehab center in…
Buprenorphine—“bupe”—is one of few proven opioid addiction treatments. The daily pill can be taken for months or years at a time and is coupled with counseling and regular health care provider visits. But a recent study found that 35X more white patients than patients of…
The first clinical trial of deep brain stimulation for drug addiction launched in Shanghai and may be heading to the US. In the past, DBS—surgical implantation of a device in the brain that can electronically stimulate specific areas—has yielded mixed results. A recent…
