The Food and Drug Administration, as part of a sweeping overhaul in how it regulates opioid painkillers, plans to look to some unusual allies to limit the flood of the addictive pills — health insurers and companies that manage prescription …
Missouri became the final state to create a prescription drug-monitoring program on July 17 when Republican Gov. Eric Greitens signed an executive order aimed at combatting a scourge that killed more than 900 residents last year. The announcement surprised lawmakers, …
New Hampshire authorities say they’ve responded to more overdoses in June than any other month in 2017 so far, with a total of 117 suspected overdoses reported. American Medical Response says 92 of the 117 June overdoses were in Manchester, …
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has joined the ranks of state attorneys general who have sued manufacturers of opioid pain medication, alleging that deceptive marketing campaigns by the drug makers have fueled the state’s opioid epidemic. On June 30 Hunter …
A report released in May by the Texas Department of Insurance – Division of Workers’ Compensation shows that while the number of compounded drug prescriptions in the workers’ comp system grew between 2010 and 2014, there was a steady decrease …
Drug overdose deaths have reached a record high in Mississippi. The Clarion-Ledger reported that the at least 211 deaths in 2016 were the most in Mississippi’s history. Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics director John Dowdy says the number is derived from …
Obtaining prescriptions for highly addictive opioid drugs in Louisiana will soon be more difficult under bills signed into law on June 12 by Gov. John Bel Edwards, who is hoping to turn the state into a leader in battling the …
The state of Ohio on May 30 sued five major drug manufacturers, accusing them of misrepresenting the risks of prescription opioid painkillers that have fueled a sky-rocketing drug addiction epidemic. The suit, filed by Attorney General Mike DeWine, comes as …
An Arkansas health panel has recommended limiting coverage of opioid prescriptions in health plans that cover tens of thousands of state employees and teachers. The recommendations, which are aimed at curbing drug dependence and abuse, were compiled by the State …
New Hampshire’s three biggest health insurers are largely in compliance in covering treatment for alcohol and drug addiction, and are committed to making changes when needed, state regulators said Thursday. The Department of Insurance began reviewing Anthem, Cigna and Harvard …
