Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
While Still High, US Drug Overdose Deaths Are Falling, Early Data Show
The U.S. is making progress against one of its most devastating public health threats: drug overdoses. Over the 12 months ending in October 2024, the country saw a 25% decline in overdose deaths compared with the same period the year prior, according to the latest preliminary estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 82,000 overdose deaths were reported. (Wernau, Abbott and Ulick, 3/20)
The Trump administration is extending through mid-June an emergency declaration linked to the opioid overdose crisis that was set to expire on Friday. In a statement, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. acknowledged drug deaths in the U.S. "are starting to decline" but said the Trump administration will continue treating the opioid crisis as "the national security emergency that it is." (Mann, 3/19)
As the bird flu continues to wreak havoc on the U.S. egg supply, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data show there have been significantly more egg products seized at U.S. borders than the number of seizures of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl so far in fiscal year 2025. According to the CBP data, there have been 413 drug seizure events involving fentanyl in fiscal year 2025, with December, January and February all having fewer fentanyl seizures than in those months the year before. (Cohen, 3/19)
Also —
An industrial chemical used to produce plastics has infiltrated Philadelphia's fentanyl supply, researchers say. Why it matters: Public health experts worry about the potential consequences for anybody ingesting BTMPS-cut fentanyl. While the chemical's health effects on humans aren't known, studies using rats have shown it can cause heart defects, lung damage, blurry vision and death. (Avilucea, 3/19)
A former South Florida nurse who swapped out fentanyl medication meant for patients with saline has been sentenced to federal prison. Emmanuel Valentin, 40, was sentenced to more than two years in prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida said Tuesday. Valentin, who'd worked at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, was arrested in 2023 and pleaded guilty to tampering with consumer products this past December. Authorities said Valentin, who worked in the hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab, used a syringe to extract liquid painkillers - medical-grade fentanyl and midazolam - from their vials for his personal use while on duty. (3/18)
