Shaun Thaxter, ex-CEO of Chesterfield, Va.-based Indivior, pleaded guilty June 30 to a misdemeanor count of misrepresenting the drugmaker's opioid misuse treatment.

Two pension funds that own shares in Walmart filed a lawsuit against the company June 17, alleging that it knowingly allowed its pharmacies to illegally distribute opioids.

Fentanyl is first on the list of drugs found in overdose patients at University of Maryland Medical Center's midtown and downtown campuses, according to a study published June 12 in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Nineteen people from the Detroit area, the majority of whom are medical professionals, were federally charged June 11 in a 44-count indictment alleging an illegal opioid distribution ring.

New York filed insurance fraud charges June 10 against Endo, alleging the drugmaker misled customers about its opioids' efficacy and addictiveness.

A national panel of health experts is for the first time recommending that clinicians screen all adults for unhealthy drug use.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey filed two lawsuits against Walgreens and Rite Aid this week, claiming they failed to monitor and report suspicious orders of controlled substances and ordered excessive amounts of opioids to their pharmacies in the state. 

Widespread medical cannabis legalization could lead to reduced opioid abuse, according to recent study from New York City-based Columbia University.

A complaint filed by two Ohio counties in federal court in Cleveland on May 27 alleges five retail pharmacy chains facilitated the opioid crisis as distributors of the highly addictive drugs, according to The New York Times.

CVS subsidiary Omnicare agreed to pay the U.S. $15.3 million May 13 to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act by allowing opioids and other controlled substances to be dispensed without valid prescriptions. 

West Virginia and Delaware are tied for having the most overdose deaths per capita of all U.S. states, according to a ranking from WalletHub.

Regulatory reforms the government rolled out amid the pandemic have significantly improved patients' access to addiction care, according to STAT.

Many Americans who have lost a loved one to opioid addiction are grappling with feelings of resentment amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to PennLive.

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter filed separate lawsuits against Cardinal Health, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen May 1, accusing them of oversupplying the state with opioids, The Oklahoman reported. 

Though the federal government is now allowing certain people receiving addiction treatment to take medications home for extended periods, compliance with the new rules have been spotty, resulting in crowds and long lines at some treatment clinics in the country, STAT reports.

To combat the opioid crisis that continues to claim lives in the U.S., more health systems are developing holistic programs to address opioid use disorder within the four walls of their hospitals.

A program implemented at Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Health helped cut post-surgery opioid prescriptions by 64 percent, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Although use of opioids to treat back pain patients coming to the emergency department decreased overall from 2007 to 2016, the use of one opioid, tramadol, doubled, new research shows, according to MedPage Today.

State laws on opioid prescription volumes may help lower opioid use and positively influence providers' prescribing decisions, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

Plans for the country's first supervised injection site, scheduled to open next week in Philadelphia, abruptly ended Feb. 28, according to ABC affiliate WPVI.