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Johnson & Johnson appears to be nearing a final deal that could settle more than 2,000 lawsuits brought by states and cities that claim the company contributed to the opioid crisis by overselling the benefits of its painkillers...The U.S. drugmaker will pour an additional $1 billion into a potential settlement that would resolve those opioid lawsuits, on top of the $4 billion the company set aside a year ago.,,READ MORE

With opioid-related overdoses on the rise, health care providers try preparing everyday Nevadans to respond to a crisis..From January to May 2020, Nevada saw 23 percent more opioid-related overdose deaths than during the same period in 2019, and similar trends are being seen across the country...Opioid-related overdose deaths peaked in Nevada in 2011 and have been on the decline since then, but around the U.S., rates have been rising throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Medical Association released a report in mid-August citing news reports from 40 states and Washington, D.C. showing a rise in overdoses and illicit substance abuse since March...According to data from the Nevada Overdose Data to Action Program, there have been 197 opioid-involved drug overdose deaths in 2020 as of May 31, a 23 percent increase over the 160 counted in the first five months of 2019. April and May had the highest rates of overdose-related emergency room visits, with a 25 percent increase over the three months prior...READ MORE

...the...Department of Health and Human Services awarded more than $101 million to 116 organizations in order to address substance use disorders (SUD) and opioid use disorders (OUD)...The awards...will go to organizations in 42 states, particularly in highly afflicted rural communities. HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy supported 89 rural organizations in 38 states with $89 million as part of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Implementation..."President Trump has focused on expanding access to treatment for Americans with substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder, and that commitment continues during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Alex Azar, MD, secretary of HHS. "The pandemic has created particular stresses for many Americans struggling with substance use disorders, and these HRSA awards will help strengthen prevention, treatment, and recovery services, especially in rural America, at this difficult time."...READ MORE

...British Columbia was already battling an opioid epidemic when the new coronavirus hit, compounding the threat to drug users, many of whom are homeless and particularly vulnerable during the pandemic...In March, the Canadian government urged provinces to lower barriers to prescription medications - allowing doctors to provide prescriptions for controlled substances by phone and pharmacists to deliver them - to better help citizens to practice physical distancing and self-isolation...B.C. is the first province to apply those guidelines to support people who use street drugs. Healthcare providers are ramping up the supply of prescription drug replacements for those who live with addictions to drugs like heroin, and even dispensing some of them via unique vending machines...READ MORE

The Department of Justice charged 345 people across 51 federal districts in the largest healthcare fraud takedown in the agency's history...The DOJ said the charges were in connection with cases responsible for more than $6 billion in losses. Among those charged were more than 100 doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, according to the DOJ...The billions in false claims were submitted to both public and private insurers,...with more than $4.5 billion connected to telemedicine schemes...In addition, $845 million in fraud losses were linked to substance abuse treatment facilities known as "sober homes," and $806 million was connected to other types of healthcare fraud and illegal opioid distribution...READ MORE

An Alabama doctor was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his involvement in running a "pill mill" out of a Birmingham medical clinic, the U.S. Department of Justice said...U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor sentenced...Patrick Emeka Ifediba...for his involvement with Care Complete Medical Clinic...Ifediba was a doctor of internal medicine who owned and operated CCMC. Prosecutors alleged he and others, including his wife, operated CCMC as a "pill mill" and "illegally, repeatedly prescribed opioids there, often in combination with other controlled substances to form potent and deadly drug cocktails."...READ MORE

The Southern Nevada Health District released data Monday showing an alarming uptick in deaths in Clark County involving fentanyl — despite opioid deaths falling in the last five years...According to the data, in just half a year, the county nearly tied the number of fentanyl deaths for all of 2019...Between January and July, amid the statewide shutdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, fentanyl killed 63 people in Clark County, a 125 percent increase from the 28 deaths seen last year during the same time, according to the health district...Fentanyl is cheap, easy to find, and, the Drug Enforcement Administration has said, is often added to other drugs to increase potency...“Many users believe that they are purchasing heroin and actually don’t know that they are purchasing fentanyl – which often results in overdose deaths,” according to the DEA...READ MORE

Justice Department officials...announced a global opioid bust of drug traffickers on the darknet, arresting 179 people and seizing $6.5 million in cash...The operation, dubbed “DisrupTor,” was carried out across the United States and Europe and resulted in the seizure of 274 kilograms (604 pounds) of drugs, including fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, methamphetamine, heroin, ecstasy, MDMA and other drugs containing addictive substances...READ MORE

Yet, while we’re hyper-focused fighting COVID-19, our country’s opioid epidemic is growing worse...A report released...suggests that overdose deaths have increased due to COVID-19. The Washington Post reported that suspected overdoses jumped 18% in March, 29% in April and 42% in May. The figures are based on data from ambulance teams, hospitals and police...What’s not being reported is the potential threat of drug diversion within healthcare settings, which is often undetected and underreported...Given the social, economic and healthcare implications of COVID-19, it’s not hard to see how drug diversion might escalate...data suggest a rise in depression and mental health disorders with the coronavirus stemming from isolation, "shelter at home" guidelines and the economic fallout of the pandemic. Healthcare providers, who are more likely to treat patients with COVID-19, may be more susceptible to mental health issues such as depression and burnout...READ MORE

A recent study identified pharmacy-level barriers to treatment for opioid use disorder in rural areas, indicating a need for policy changes regarding buprenorphine access and monitoring...The case study, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, looked at buprenorphine dispensing practices in 12 rural Kentucky counties across 15 community pharmacies. The investigators aimed to determine whether dispensing patterns were influenced by features of the rural risk environment...“Concerns about exceeding a ‘Drug Enforcement Administration cap’ on opioid dispensing stifled dispensing,” the investigators wrote. The other factors that influenced dispensing were distrust of pharmaceutical companies and prescribers of opioid analgesics and a general stigma against individual who use drugs and/or against the medications to treat substance use disorder...READ MORE