Most Americans could not accurately distinguish opioids from other types of medications in a recent survey conducted by health IT company DrFirst, a finding that is particularly problematic as the opioid crisis continues to be exacerbated by the pandemic.

Purdue Pharma is being sued for $2.15 trillion by 49 states, Washington, D.C., and various U.S. territories for its role in the opioid crisis, according to CNN.

Pregnant women experience particular difficulty accessing opioid use disorder treatments, according to a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The American Pharmacist Association and Walmart have teamed up to offer a free online opioid stewardship training program for all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the U.S. 

Many counties nationwide have recently experienced a dangerous uptick in opioid-related overdoses, a trend that is getting worse as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt daily processes, according to upstate New York radio station WRVO.

As the world battles one major crisis, efforts to combat other crises are being put on hold. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended healthcare efforts on several different fronts, including work to mitigate the U.S. opioid crisis.

The FDA will now require information about naloxone, a drug that treats opioid overdose in emergency situations, on the label for all opioid pain medication and medications that treat opioid use disorder. 

Even though opioid overdoses reached their all-time peak in 2019, opioid prescriptions decreased by 37.1 percent from 2014-19, according to the most recent report from the American Medical Association's Opioid Task Force.

About one in five U.S. women reported that they misused prescription opioids during pregnancy, a CDC analysis of survey data shows.

Fatal drug overdoses hit a record high last year after decreasing for the first time in three decades in 2018, according to preliminary data from the CDC.

Waltham, Mass.-based Brandeis University has released an extensive online resource to help local leaders address the opioid epidemic.

Cleveland Clinic Akron (Ohio) General received $1 million from Summit County for its Centering Pregnancy program, which provides expanded prenatal care to women affected by substance use disorders. 

Suspected drug overdoses have significantly increased nationwide during the pandemic, likely due to Americans' prolonged isolation, economic hardships and changes to the U.S. drug trade, reports The Washington Post.

Shaun Thaxter, ex-CEO of Chesterfield, Va.-based Indivior, pleaded guilty June 30 to a misdemeanor count of misrepresenting the drugmaker's opioid misuse treatment.

Two pension funds that own shares in Walmart filed a lawsuit against the company June 17, alleging that it knowingly allowed its pharmacies to illegally distribute opioids.

Fentanyl is first on the list of drugs found in overdose patients at University of Maryland Medical Center's midtown and downtown campuses, according to a study published June 12 in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Nineteen people from the Detroit area, the majority of whom are medical professionals, were federally charged June 11 in a 44-count indictment alleging an illegal opioid distribution ring.

New York filed insurance fraud charges June 10 against Endo, alleging the drugmaker misled customers about its opioids' efficacy and addictiveness.

A national panel of health experts is for the first time recommending that clinicians screen all adults for unhealthy drug use.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey filed two lawsuits against Walgreens and Rite Aid this week, claiming they failed to monitor and report suspicious orders of controlled substances and ordered excessive amounts of opioids to their pharmacies in the state.