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More than ever, the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl is claiming lives in Massachusetts, fueling an overdose death toll that continues to rise, according to data released Wednesday by the state Department of Public Health. During the first half of 2016, deaths from opioid overdoses were higher than in the same period last year. That happened despite an apparent decline in the use of heroin and prescription drugs. Prescriptions for opioid painkillers were at their lowest level since early 2015, and heroin and prescription drugs were found less frequently in the bloodstreams of overdose victims than in the past. (Freyer, 8/3)

The widespread availability of the potent synthetic painkiller fentanyl helped drive overdose deaths higher during the first half of 2016 in Massachusetts, an indication that the opioid crisis is showing no sign of ebbing despite increasing political and law enforcement focus on the problem. Massachusetts is one of the few states to report overdose estimates in close to real time, providing an early indicator of what might be happening nationally. The US Drug Enforcement Administration last month labeled fentanyl an “unprecedented threat” and warned the expanding market for the drug “will likely result in more opioid-dependent individuals, overdoses and deaths.” (Armstrong, 8/3)

Many experts say the prescription painkiller epidemic started when physicians began over-prescribing powerful opioid medications, a well-meaning attempt to more aggressively treat patients' pain. With addiction to those pills at crisis levels, they argue, a good part of the solution would be for doctors to rein in use of the drugs. The giant health insurer Aetna is now actively encouraging change. Using the vast amount of data it collects from insurance claims by pharmacies, it has begun contacting doctors whose prescribing habits are far outside the norm. (Bernstein, 8/3)

It’s no secret drugs like OxyContin and hydromorphone are highly addictive. The real question is this: do drug companies downplay how addictive they are while marketing the medicine to doctors? New Hampshire’s Attorney General Joe Foster suspects false marketing of legal pills has led to abuse of illicit drugs like heroin. That’s why he subpoenaed the nation’s largest manufacturers of prescription painkillers. (Rodolico, 8/3)

The next time central Ohio is hit by a string of overdoses like the one caused by an elephant tranquilizer that was sold as heroin three weeks ago, a new rapid response team will be called into action. The team includes the coroner's office, law-enforcement officers, fire and medic professionals, and city and county public health officials, said Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz, who announced the formation of the Opiate Rapid Response Team Wednesday. (Pyle, 8/3)