West Virginia has the highest rate of children affected by the opioid epidemic, with 54 of every 1,000 children in the state affected in 2017, according to a Nov. 13 report from United Hospital Fund and Boston Consulting Group.  

Patrick Yoder, PharmD,  co-founder and CEO of Logic Stream explains how automated software tools are playing an important role in drug diversion prevention and detection. 

The opioid epidemic adversely affected about 2.2 million U.S. children and adolescents in 2017, with related healthcare costs totaling $74 billion for the year, according to a Nov. 13 report from United Hospital Fund and Boston Consulting Group. 

Only one percent of opioid-naive emergency department patients receiving opioid prescriptions upon discharge demonstrated persistent opioid use six months later, according to a study published Nov. 1 in Annals of Emergency Medicine. 

Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Nov. 5 signed legislation to better track opioid overdoses in the state.

Delaware has the highest rate of Americans reporting opioid use disorder of all U.S. states, according to a new ranking from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Mexican drug cartels are manufacturing and distributing large quantities of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl throughout North America, according to a Nov. 4 warning from the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Receiving gifts from pharmaceutical companies related to opioids increases the likelihood of a physician prescribing opioids to patients in the following year, according to a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

The opioid epidemic cost the nation $696 billion in 2018, representing 3.4 percent of gross domestic product, according to a new estimate from the Council of Economic Advisors.

Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth aims to improve patients' access to substance abuse treatment through a new partnership with Seminole County, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

Asking patients to be involved in deciding how many opioids they need could help lower opioid prescribing rates, according to a study published in The Green Journal.

Hundreds of hospitals have filed lawsuits separate from the ongoing federal opioid trial accusing drugmakers of fueling the opioid crisis, according to NPR.

Below is a timeline of opioid settlements that have been reached since January, reported by Becker's Hospital Review. The timeline doesn't include opioid settlements that are still pending or have been agreed to in principle, including a proposed settlement from Purdue Pharma and a global settlement from several drug distributors.

Four states agreed Oct. 21 on a framework for a $48 billion settlement with five drug companies over their alleged role in fueling the opioid crisis, according to The Hill.

Nearly half of women discharged with an opioid prescription after giving birth via cesarean section are over-prescribed, according to a new study.

The opioid crisis cost the U.S. at least $631 billion from 2015 to 2018, with healthcare costs constituting a third of the economic loss, according to a study released Oct. 15 by the Society of Actuaries. 

Teva Pharmaceuticals agreed in principle to a global settlement worth $23 billion to resolve all opioid-related litigation against the drugmaker.

A New Quest Diagnostics health trends report that most primary care physicians fear chronic pain patients will resort to illicit drugs if they don't have access to prescription opiods. 

The country's three largest drug distributors and one manufacturer reached a settlement to avoid the bellwether federal opioid trial set to begin in Cleveland Oct. 21, according to The New York Times.

Surgeons concerned that prescribing few opioids might hurt their patient satisfactions scores can breathe a sigh of relief, according to a new study.