opioids News

Mind-Altering Ketamine Becomes New Pain Treatment, Despite Little Research or Regulation

WASHINGTON (AP) — As U.S. doctors scale back their use of opioid painkillers, a new option for hard-to-treat pain is taking root: ketamine, the decades-old surgical drug that is now a trendy psychedelic therapy. Prescriptions for ketamine have soared in …

Injured Workers Pharmacy to Pay $10M for Improper Handling of ‘Red Flag’ Prescriptions

Andover, Massachusetts-based Injured Workers Pharmacy (IWP) has agreed to pay $10 million to resolve allegations that it violated the Controlled Substances Act by improperly filling prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids, and submitting false claims for payment to the Department …

Tennessee Sues Walgreens Pharmacy Chain over Opioid Distribution

The state of Tennessee sued Walgreens on Wednesday, accusing the retail pharmacy giant of fueling the state’s opioid epidemic by willfully flooding the market with an oversupply of prescription narcotics in violation of consumer protection and public nuisance laws. According …

Troubling Questions Follow Closure of Sprawling Pain Clinic Chain

HANFORD, Calif. — On May 13 of last year, the cellphones of thousands of California residents undergoing treatment for chronic pain lit up with a terse text message: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Lags Medical Centers will be closing effective May …

Opioid Trial Against CVS, Walgreens, Walmart Winding Down

CLEVELAND (AP) — Three retail pharmacy chains failed to follow government guidelines to make sure pain pills weren’t flooding Ohio communities, said an attorney for two counties that brought a federal lawsuit to hold the companies accountable for the opioid …

Marijuana Waxes as Opioids Wane in Workers’ Comp

Workers’ compensation insurers have slashed spending on opioids, reducing the risk of addiction and delayed recovery, but now they are under increasing pressure to reimburse injured workers for a new kind of elixir. Six states now allow or require insurers …

Trial Against Pharmacy Chains’ Opioid Sales Set to Begin

CLEVELAND (AP) — Opening statements are scheduled for Monday afternoon in Cleveland in a federal court trial to determine whether retail pharmacy chains created a public nuisance in how they dispensed addictive painkillers in two Ohio counties where the opioid …

Drugmaker Endo Settles Opioid Claims by New York, Counties for $50M

Drugmaker Endo International Plc on Thursday said it has agreed to pay $50 million to resolve lawsuits by New York state and two of its largest counties related to the sale and marketing of opioids. Endo said the settlement includes …

OxyContin Maker’s Settlement Goes to Judge for Confirmation

Purdue Pharma’s quest to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of OxyContin and its other prescription opioid painkillers is entering its final phase with the grudging support of most of those who have claims against the company. Nearly two …

J&J Agrees to Pay $230 Million to Settle New York Opioid Claim

NEW YORK (AP) — Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $230 million to New York state to settle claims that the pharmaceutical giant helped fuel the opioid crisis, Attorney General Letitia James said on Saturday. The drugmaker also agreed …