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

As the opioid crisis ravages the nation, emergency department physicians in Philadelphia are trying to use data and new interventions to change the way opioids are being prescribed, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer report.  By Anuja Vaidya - 5/29/18

There are many different ways to quantify the opioid crisis. The obvious is the dramatic rise in deaths from overdoses.  By Dean Shold VP, Technology at Medigram - 5/29/18

The Addiction Policy Forum released a hospital toolkit May 16 to educate emergency medicine providers, patients, families and policymakers on how to respond to the opioid crisis.  By Megan Knowles - 5/22/18

A recent press release by Cigna discusses their new online campaign launch to further their commitment to curbing the national opioid epidemic. By Staff - 5/22/18

It is easy to get lost in the dizzying data of our nation’s overdose epidemic: 63,600 drug overdose deaths in 2016, a number larger than the entire population of Terre Haute, Indiana.  By Jessica Hulsey Nickel - 5/21/18

Brewer-based Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems ended partnerships with two Maine addiction treatment sites that are naming former EMHS physicians in a $1 billion lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, the health system announced May 17.  By Megan Knowles - 5/18/18

After decreasing doses of opioid painkillers administered to hospital patients and delivering the medication with a shot or a pill as opposed to an IV, researchers found they could decrease patients' exposure to opioids while improving pain relief, according to a pilot study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.  By Megan Knowles - 5/18/18

An investigation by FDA scientists revealed numerous data inaccuracies in reports that data vendor IQVIA provided to the agency, including data on opioid drug products, the agency announced May 16.  By Megan Knowles - 5/18/18

As the opioid epidemic increases the number of organ donors dying from drug overdoses, an analysis published in The New England Journal of Medicine found this increase has led to more organ transplants in the last five years.  By Megan Knowles - 5/18/18

The FDA approved Lucemyra, the first nonopioid treatment for adults managing opioid withdrawal symptoms, the agency announced May 16.   By Megan Knowles - 5/17/18

Springfield, Ga.-based Effingham Health System has agreed to pay $4.1 million to resolve allegations that it failed to provide procedures to protect against theft and loss of controlled substances, leading to opioid diversion, according to a statement released from the health system May 16.  By Megan Knowles - 5/16/18

A patient's family is suing Geneva, Ill.-based Delnor Hospital and the patient's physician for allegedly failing to follow protocols that aim to recognize patients at risk of becoming addicted to pain medications, according to the Chicago Tribune.  By Megan Knowles - 5/16/18

Although the U.S. Senate recently approved a bill to address the opioid crisis, to truly curb painkiller abuse, it is crucial to understand why Americans are turning to these powerful drugs, Susan Sered, PhD, professor of sociology at Boston-based Suffolk University, argues in an op-ed.  By Megan Knowles - 5/16/18

Bradenton, Fla.-based Manatee Memorial Hospital and Lakewood Ranch (Fla.) Medical Center are no longer using opioids as a first line of defense in the emergency department, resulting in a significant decrease in opioid use, the Bradenton Herald reports.  By Megan Knowles - 5/16/18