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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday alerted public health officials and clinicians about the potential risk for drug overdose among individuals ordering counterfeit prescription medicines from online pharmacies. The counterfeit pills sold through illegal internet-based pharmacies frequently contain fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is the leading cause of drug overdoses in the United States, the health agency said. (10/2)

Two Democratic lawmakers are pushing the Drug Enforcement Administration to take a more lax approach to regulating buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid addiction. “Bupe,” also known by the brand name Suboxone, is one of just two medications currently approved to treat opioid cravings and withdrawal. And though it is associated with a 38% reduction in risk of opioid death, it remains stigmatized because it is chemically an opioid — and, accordingly, highly scrutinized by the DEA. (Facher, 10/3)

Many of the prescription drugs that are commonly abused or misused are brands most people have heard of. Painkillers, also known as opioids, are the most frequently abused ones, per data from the New York State Department of Health. These include morphine, codeine, oxycodone and hydrocodone, with brand names OxyContin, Vicodin and Lortab. Depressants that are used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders include brands like Valium and Xanax and are also commonly abused. Ditto for stimulants that treat ADHD such as Ritalin, Dexedrine and Adderall. Dr. Holly Geyer, an addiction medicine specialist and the lead physician of the Mayo Clinic opioid stewardship program in Arizona, explains that in an effort to help combat opioid-related drug abuse, many doctors have been turning to a class of drugs that isn't classified as a controlled substance: gabapentinoids. This has contributed to a drug called gabapentin becoming the sixth-most prescribed medication in the United States. (Austin, 10/1)

The number of fatal overdoses has declined rapidly in North Carolina over the last year — far outpacing how fast they've fallen nationally. In the 12 months ending in April, there was a 10% decline in fatal overdoses nationally from the same period a year before, according to preliminary CDC data. In North Carolina, that figure dropped 23%. (Soloff, 10/3

Drug overdose deaths in New Jersey have seen a steady decline over the past year, swiftly surpassing a national decrease and showing signs that efforts to slow the spread of the illicit drug supply have improved, recent state and federal data shows. Statistics compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the predicted number of overdose deaths in the Garden State was 2,547 during a 12-month period from April 2023 to April 2024. The agency's predicted counts reported in the spring, the latest data available, provide the most accurate numbers, but they are still preliminary. The number of deaths shows a marked drop of 14% from April 2023, when federal data showed 2,972 drug-related deaths in New Jersey. (Comstock, 9/30)

Opioid overdose deaths in the city have dropped after rising last year, according to new “promising” data from the Boston Public Health Commission. There were 68 opioid-related overdose deaths among Boston residents in the first four months of this year, compared to 102 deaths over the same time period in 2023. That’s a 33% decrease from last year. (Sobey, 10/2)

According to the Fairfax County Health Department, hospital emergency visits for opioid overdoses increased 115% from 2022 to 2023 among teens under 18. From 2016 to August 2024, 132 teens in the Fairfax Health District suffered opioid overdoses, while 16 died of overdoses between 2016 and March 2024. The vast majority involved fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances. Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement believes one of the reasons teens turn to opioids is the lack of after school activities and opportunities.(Moreno, 9/29)

Mark Chavez, one of the two doctors charged in connection with “Friends” star Matthew Perry’s death, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine as part of a plea agreement during a court appearance in Los Angeles on Wednesday. In accordance with the agreement, Chavez formally pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry, who died in October 2023 due to “acute effects” of the anesthetic and subsequent drowning, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy report. He was 54. (Rosenbloom, Galeana and Watt, 10/2)