George Blatti, MD, 75, a physician in Nassau County, N.Y., was charged March 4 with second-degree murder for his prescription practices, which allegedly led to five patient deaths, the Nassau County District Attorney said in a news release. 

George Griffin, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in Cincinnati, was sentenced to 40 months in prison March 1 for illegally distributing controlled substances, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

A Kentucky federal grand jury on Feb. 24 indicted two surgeons on charges of illegal opioid distribution, healthcare fraud and healthcare fraud conspiracy, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The pandemic has changed the daily usage patterns and motivations for use of many Americans who use opioids, according to recent research released by The Recovery Village and Project Opioid. 

Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing sent a letter Feb. 16 to the American Medical Association criticizing its stance that the opioid epidemic is not fundamentally driven by prescribed opioids, but rather heroin and fentanyl that is illegally produced and obtained.

Four drug companies in settlement talks with states to resolve claims about their role in the opioid epidemic are poised to receive about $1 billion each in tax breaks if they finalized a combined payout totaling more than $26 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 12.

Emergency department visits for opioid overdoses increased 29 percent from 2019 to 2020, according to research recently published in JAMA Psychiatry.

New York City-based consulting firm McKinsey on Feb. 4 agreed to pay $573 million to settle investigations into counsel it provided to Purdue Pharma and other opioid drugmakers, but a hedge fund affiliate fully owned by the firm may benefit from that money, NBC News reported Feb. 8.

Dayton, Ohio-based physician Morris Brown, MD, was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in an illegal opioid distribution scheme, the Department of Justice announced Feb. 8.

Three healthcare professionals were sentenced in connection with the illegal distribution of controlled substances and corresponding Medicare reimbursement fraud, the Department of Justice announced Feb. 4.

New York City-based consulting firm McKinsey on Feb. 4 agreed to pay $573 million to settle investigations into counsel it provided to Purdue Pharma and other opioid drugmakers.

New York City-based consulting firm McKinsey is close to reaching a settlement with state attorneys general regarding counsel it provided to Purdue Pharma and other opioid drugmakers, sources familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal Jan. 29.

A federal court in Florida issued a temporary order prohibiting Tampa-based WeCare Pharmacy from dispensing opioids and other controlled substances, the Department of Justice announced Jan. 29.

John Kapoor, the former CEO of Insys Therapeutics, agreed to pay New Jersey $5 million to settle allegations for his role in fueling the opioid epidemic, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced Jan. 21.

HHS said Jan. 14 it will update its guidelines to allow physicians to more easily prescribe  buprenorphine, a drug that treats opioid addiction and chronic pain.

The Florida Board of Medicine revoked a physician's license in December after three administrative complaints were filed against him claiming he inappropriately prescribed opioids and anxiety medications, according to a Jan. 10 Miami Herald report.

Walmart pharmacists warned the company for years of opioid sales that seemed dangerous or illegal, and some claim Walmart pressured them not to report the suspicious behavior, NPR reported. 

Delaware plans to expand substance use disorder services and treatment with the first $700,000 it generated by billing drugmakers for the opioids they sell in the state, according to The News Journal.

Two trials involving opioid litigation have been stalled this month, delaying one of the largest civil cases in U.S. history, The Washington Post reported. 

The FDA has issued new rules related to the prescribing of opioid painkillers.