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. 

The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Walmart Dec. 22 alleging the supermarket giant contributed to the opioid crisis by failing to properly screen its pharmacies for abusive prescribing practices. 

Drugmakers who produce opioids have paid $65 million since 1997 to nonprofits that advocate for treating pain with the highly addictive medications, according to a bipartisan congressional investigation released Dec. 16.

Two members of the Sackler family, which owned Purdue Pharma, will testify Dec. 17 before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Many public health experts have said the pandemic has exacerbated the opioid epidemic, as social isolation, moving recovery programs to remote settings and stress have led to an increase in opioid abuse and overdoses.

New York City-based consulting firm McKinsey issued a statement regarding its past work with Purdue Pharma, saying it failed to contextualize the opioid epidemic's destructive effects when advising the drugmaker on how to increase OxyContin sales.

President-elect Joe Biden released an initial plan earlier this month to tackle the opioid epidemic, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

McKinsey, the prestigious consulting firm that advised Purdue Pharma on how to ramp up OxyContin sales, recommended the drugmaker pay its distributors a rebate for every overdose the painkiller caused, according to a Nov. 27 New York Times report.  

Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty Nov. 24 to three criminal charges related to the marketing and sale of OxyContin, according to The Wall Street Journal. The guilty plea formally admits the company's role in the nation's opioid epidemic.

Judge Robert Drain approved Purdue Pharma's $8.3 billion settlement with the Department of Justice Nov. 17, nearly a month after the drugmaker agreed to plead guilty to three criminal counts, including federal anti-kickback law violation and conspiracy to defraud, ABC News reported.

Pharmaceutical company Indivior was ordered to pay $289 million in criminal penalties in connection to its guilty plea related to marketing opioid addiction treatment drug Suboxone, the Justice Department said Nov. 12. 

A group of more than two dozen members of Congress penned a letter to Attorney General William Barr Nov. 10, urging him to reject part of the Justice Department's opioid settlement with Purdue Pharma.