Congress should implement federal policies to better support trauma-informed treatment approaches for victims of the opioid crisis, as childhood trauma is a major driver of addiction, Marlo Nash, senior vice president of public policy and mobilization for the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, wrote in an op-ed for The Hill.  By Harrison Cook - 6/18/18

The U.S. experienced an increase in illicit opioid sales via crypromarkets after the Drug Enforcement Administration released a stricter opioid prescribing regulation in 2014, according to research published June 13 in The BMJ.  By Harrison Cook - 6/15/18

Walgreens played a dual role in exacerbating Kentucky's opioid epidemic as a distributor and pharmacy, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear claimed in a June 14 lawsuit against the retail giant.  By Morgan Haefner - 6/15/18

New York physicians prescribed more opioids to Medicare patients after receiving payments from opioid manufacturers, compared to those who did not receive money from a drugmaker, according to a study from the New York State Health Foundation.  By Harrison Cook - 6/14/18

Although President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency in October, his administration has yet to take necessary steps to help those fighting addiction — including one critical, cost-free step, two experts argue in a jointly written op-ed in The Washington Post.  By Megan Knowles - 6/14/18

The New Jersey Hospital Association is spending $1.5 million on a tool by Collective Medical that will allow hospitals to track opioid prescriptions.  By Anuja Vaidya - 6/14/18

National Institutes of Health leaders published an opinion piece June 12 to outline how the medical research agency plans to spend the $500 million budget Congress awarded it to combat the opioid crisis, The Hill reports.  By Megan Knowles - 6/13/18

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey brought a lawsuit June 11 against OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma as well as its executives and directors, accusing the company of illegally promoting opioid use. The suit makes Massachusetts the first state to sue the drugmaker's executives to hold them accountable, Reuters reports.  By Megan Knowles - 6/13/18

As the nation develops strategies to fight opioid addiction, legislators are concerned the FDA has not made strong enough efforts to prevent illegal drugs from entering the U.S., Reuters reports.  By Megan Knowles - 6/12/18

Although needle exchanges and safe injection sites have numerous studies backing their effectiveness in fighting opioid addiction, a recent study revealed many Americans oppose both — a stigma that could harm the nation's response to the opioid epidemic, Vox reports.  By Megan Knowles - 6/12/18

CMS on June 11 released a guidance to help states leverage Medicaid and ensure they have the tools for fighting the opioid crisis. The guidance comes as the House is set to vote on dozens of opioid bills starting this week.  By Megan Knowles - 6/11/18

President Donald Trump's administration on June 8 announced a public awareness campaign aimed at reducing opioid addiction among young people, CNN reports.  By Megan Knowles - 6/8/18

The House will vote next week on legislation to combat the opioid crisis, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said June 6, according to The Hill.  By Megan Knowles - 6/8/18

Opioids were involved in one out of every 65 deaths in the U.S. in 2016. For younger adults, that number jumped to one in five deaths, a study published in JAMA Network Open found.  By Megan Knowles - 6/7/18

The FDA sent warning letters to nine online networks, which operate 53 websites, to halt illegal marketing of unapproved versions of opioid medications, including oxycodone and tramadol, the agency announced June 5.  By Megan Knowles - 6/6/18

As a nation, we must focus on the treatment and recovery of over 2 million people suffering from opioid use disorder.  By Dean Shold VP, Technology at Medigram - 6/5/18

Physicians are making strides in fighting the opioid crisis, but the epidemic won't end without expanded access to better treatment for pain and substance abuse, the American Medical Association reported.  By Megan Knowles - 6/4/18

The Georgia Board of Nurses handles over half of its disciplinary cases in secret — meaning patients cannot know which nurses are abusing drugs, how many nurses are addicted or how many relapse, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation found.  By Megan Knowles - 6/4/18

The FDA has launched an innovation challenge to push development of medical devices to prevent and treat opioid addiction.  By Megan Knowles - 6/1/18

As legislators search for ways to curb the opioid crisis, advocates for further restricting the drugs claim the American Medical Association is lobbying against several CDC recommendations and that members of Congress are afraid to take on the lobby, The Daily Beast reports.  By Megan Knowles - 6/1/18