Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California To Launch More Secure Prescription Drug Database
California health care providers will soon be using a faster and more secure database aimed at combating drug abuse. State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris and the California Department of Consumer Affairs announced Tuesday that providers who log in with secure Web browsers starting Jan. 8 will be using the new version of the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System, known as CURES 2.0. The system is designed to prevent overdoses and illegal sales of prescription drugs. (Goldenstein, 12/23)
The maker of OxyContin will pay Kentucky $24 million over the next eight years as part of the settlement of a long-running lawsuit that accused the company of misleading the public about the addictiveness of the powerful prescription drug. The state first filed the lawsuit against Purdue Pharma in 2007. The Connecticut-based company has had FDA approval since 1995 to market OxyContin, a type of opioid that can relieve pain and has similar qualities to the illegal drug heroin. (Beam, 12/23)
