About one in five U.S. women reported that they misused prescription opioids during pregnancy, a CDC analysis of survey data shows.

Fatal drug overdoses hit a record high last year after decreasing for the first time in three decades in 2018, according to preliminary data from the CDC.

Waltham, Mass.-based Brandeis University has released an extensive online resource to help local leaders address the opioid epidemic.

Cleveland Clinic Akron (Ohio) General received $1 million from Summit County for its Centering Pregnancy program, which provides expanded prenatal care to women affected by substance use disorders. 

Suspected drug overdoses have significantly increased nationwide during the pandemic, likely due to Americans' prolonged isolation, economic hardships and changes to the U.S. drug trade, reports The Washington Post.

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.