Public Health

The Opioid Safety Initiate instituted by the Veterans Health Administration in 2013 significantly reduced the frequency of high-dose opioid prescriptions among veterans, according to a new study published in the journal Pain.

Washington, D.C.-area hospitals are prepared to handle higher than usual patient volumes that may occur during this weekend's inauguration events, reports the Washington Business Journal.

Chemists at the Drug Enforcement Administration Special Testing and Research Laboratory in Sterling, Va., are charged with the task of testing the deadly drugs brought in by the administration's special agents.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman negotiated a national settlement with Indianapolis-based Anthem to end preauthorization for medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder.

After anesthesiologists at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville began administering fewer opioids to patients during surgeries, patients' self-reported pain levels dropped, according to a study led by three UVA anesthesiologists.

Mayor Ray Stephanson of Everett, Wash., will ask city council to approve a lawsuit against Purdue Pharmaceuticals for not taking enough action to curb the illicit sale and use of its opioid painkiller OxyContin, according to KIRO 7.

As part of a national plan to fight drug abuse, Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens has made naloxone, a lifesaving opioid antidote, available without a prescription in more than 240 of its Arizona pharmacies in accordance with state pharmacy regulations.

Hospitals are seeing a sharp increase in opioid-related inpatient stays and emergency department visits, according to a recent report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) signed Executive Order 219 on Tuesday declaring the opioid epidemic a public health crisis in the state.

In the first trial on medical marijuana sanctioned by the state of Connecticut, physicians at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford will study if marijuana can curb opioid prescriptions for acute pain management.