Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Advocates Worry Trump's Solution To Build Wall Ignores Realities Of Opioid Epidemic
To stop the heroin and painkiller crisis killing thousands of Americans, President-elect Donald Trump has promised to build a wall on the Mexican border and provide more treatment to those who need it. After Trump’s shocking electoral upset, people who work in addiction recovery say they want to believe the new president will take the crisis seriously and hope Republicans in Congress who understand the problem will help guide the new administration. (Scott, 11/14)
A handful of companies are trying strong medicine to limit employees’ use of prescription painkillers like OxyContin. Engine-maker Cummins Inc. is one of the few large employers aggressively responding to opioid misuse in their ranks. After managers found evidence of drug activity in one of its plants in 2013, the Columbus, Ind., company now requires personnel to take drug tests for prescription painkillers and encourages employees to seek alternatives to their use. (Silverman, 11/15)
And in other news on the epidemic —
A late-stage trial for an injectable treatment for addiction to heroin and other opioids was successful, potentially adding to the stable of treatments for the growing epidemic of opioid abuse, Braeburn Pharmaceuticals and Camurus AB said Monday. The trial follows a May U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of another treatment option from Braeburn: a long-lasting arm implant that provides six months’ worth of the drug—buprenorphine. (Hufford, 11/14)
Two Medford-area pharmacists were charged Monday for selling large quantities of oxycodone and other drugs at two local drugstores, according to federal authorities. Pharmacy owner Michael Ludwikowski, 44, of Medford, and his employee, David Goldfield, 58, of Medford Lakes, were charged in a 16-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances, according to court records released Monday. The men worked at the Olde Medford Pharmacy on Stokes Road and the Medford Family Pharmacy on Old Marlton Pike, and illegally dispensed drugs between March 2008 and August 2013, according to court documents. Among their clients, officials said, were known drug addicts using phony prescriptions. (Boyer, 11/15)
