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Prescription painkiller abuse is drawing national attention as states battle increasing abuse cases, presidential candidates offer possible solutions and even President Barack Obama includes the issue in his State of the Union address Tuesday night. A new review article published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine provides insights for policymakers on how to curb this deadly trend. (Luthra, 1/13)

Massachusetts House lawmakers have approved a bill aimed at addressing the state's alarming spike in opioid overdoses and deaths, while rejecting a proposal that would have allowed doctors to involuntarily commit those suffering from overdoses to drug treatment facilities for up to three days. The bill, which passed Wednesday on a unanimous vote, would limit initial opiate painkiller prescriptions to a seven-day supply and set an evaluation requirement within 24 hours for overdose victims seeking help at hospital emergency rooms. (LeBlanc, 1/13)