Treating depression among patients with chronic prescription opioid use may help wean the patients off opioids, according to a study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.  By Anuja Vaidya - 2/7/18

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is accusing Purdue Pharma of illegally marketing and selling OxyContin and other opioid drugs.  By Kelly Gooch - 2/7/18

Among all states, West Virginia faces the highest per-capita fiscal burden related to the nation's opioid crisis, according to an analysis from the American Enterprise Institute cited by the Charleston Gazette-Mail.  By Brian Zimmerman - 2/7/18

Low-cost testing strips designed to detect fentanyl — a highly potent synthetic opioid often cut into street drugs — may help reduce rising drug overdose rates in the United States, according to a study backed by the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. By Brian Zimmerman - 2/6/18

Numerous public health experts and politicians have dubbed the nation's ongoing opioid overdose and addiction crisis the deadliest drug epidemic in American history. The scope of the crisis will likely require a multitude of efforts from governmental, healthcare and public health entities to curb soaring rates of overdose deaths.  By Brian Zimmerman - 2/6/18

The Trump administration's "opioids cabinet" — spearheaded by White House counselor Kellyanne Conway — is systematically excluding chief officials from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, according to a report from Politico.  By Brian Zimmerman - 2/6/18

Indianapolis-based attorneys retained by Marshall County, Ind., recently filed a 165-page lawsuit against more than 20 drugmakers and distributors for the companies' alleged roles in facilitating the overuse of opioids, according to a report published Sunday by the South Bend Tribune.  By Brian Zimmerman - 2/5/18

Over the last three years, the number of methadone clinics in Colorado increased from 11 to 23. However, access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction in the state remains limited, according to a report from The Denver Post.   By Brian Zimmerman - 2/5/18

The Tennessee Medical Association came out in opposition to the state's anti-opioid plan, TN Together, announced by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam Jan. 22.  By Leo Vartorella - 2/5/18

Sixty-six percent of all drug overdose deaths were attributable to opioids in 2016, according to a Jan. 31 Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of mortality data compiled by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.  By Brian Zimmerman - 2/2/18

Nineteen Democratic senators called on the Government Accountability Office to investigate the Trump administration's response to the nation's opioid crisis, according to a letter obtained by Vox.   By Brian Zimmerman - 2/1/18

The city of Baltimore filed a lawsuit Wednesday against drug manufacturers and distributors, as well as a local clinic, in an effort to curb the opioid epidemic, according to The Baltimore Sun.  By Leo Vartorella - 2/1/18

Attorneys on behalf of Huerfano County filed a lawsuit Sunday against drugmakers and distributors for allegedly contributing to the county's opioid crisis, marking the first such lawsuit filed by a local government in Colorado, according to a report from The Denver Post. By Brian Zimmerman - 1/31/18

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said Tuesday the agency sent letters to manufacturers of the diarrhea medication loperamide — known by the brand name Imodium — requesting the over-the-counter medication be repackaged to reduce the risk of overdose. By Brian Zimmerman - 1/31/18

A former Marianna, Fla.-based physician was found guilty Wednesday for drug trafficking charges after writing over 1,000 illegal opioid prescriptions, according to the Northwest Florida Daily News.  By Leo Vartorella - 1/31/18

From 2006 to 2016, drug distributors shipped 20,827,260 hydrocodone and oxycodone pills to two pharmacies in Williamson, W. Va., according to an investigation conducted by U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee. By Brian Zimmerman - 1/31/18

A New Jersey Superior Court Judge last week sentenced two men for possessing nearly 100 pounds of fentanyl, amounting to more than 18 million lethal doses of the extremely potent synthetic opioid. By Brian Zimmerman - 1/30/18

The Federal Trade Commission and the FDA on Wednesday issued joint warning letters to 11 marketers and distributors of 12 unapproved opioid cessation products. By Brian Zimmerman - 1/25/18

There is no single solution to America’s opioid crisis. With more than 90 Americans dying each day from opioid overdoses, the nation needs comprehensive strategies from multiple stakeholder groups. Hospitals and physicians, of course, play a vital role.  By Sonya Pease, MD, Chief Clinical Officer, TeamHealth Anesthesia & David Samuels, MD, TeamHealth Facility Medical Director, Select Physicians Surgery Center - 1/25/18

United States residents purchased nearly $800 million worth of fentanyl pills from China over the internet in two years, according to a Senate investigations report released Wednesday.  By Brian Zimmerman - 1/25/18