Dozens of drug companies, and others blamed for the opioid crisis may follow Purdue Pharma’s lead and try to settle claims against them.
overdoses
Posted inHealth
CT docs say health information exchange would help fight opioid epidemic
As Connecticut residents continue to die from opioid overdoses at an alarming rate, several doctors agree that being able to share health records electronically across the entire state would help fight the epidemic. But a system to accommodate that sharing remains elusive.
Posted inHealth
Trump drug czar nominee meets with CT officials after K2 crisis
President Donald Trump’s nominee for “drug czar” visited New Haven on Monday, prompted by the massive medical emergency caused by the synthetic cannabinoid K2, to discuss the ongoing and deadly addiction epidemic that continues to grip Connecticut.
Posted inHealth
More ER docs turning to non-opioids to fight overdose epidemic
Emergency department physicians across the state are using more non-opioid treatments for conditions that historically have required powerful opioids for pain management, as they try to play a lead role in the overdose epidemic that kills on average 115 Americans every day. This change, coupled with other efforts, has resulted in a significant decrease in opioids ordered at emergency departments in at least two hospitals, Norwalk and Middlesex, from 2016 to 2017.
Posted inHealth
As opioid deaths soar, Esty backs bill that pays for more medical examiners
U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty Tuesday said she will propose legislation that will provide $10 million for police forensics and to help pay for more medical examiners. The Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is currently on provisional accreditation status because it has too few examiners to meet current demand.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Murphy presses for federal probe of ‘sober homes’ after overdose deaths
WASHINGTON — A rash of overdoses in “sober homes” in Connecticut and other states has prompted Sen. Chris Murphy and a bipartisan group of his colleagues to ask federal investigators to determine if additional oversight is needed of these residences for people recovering from substance abuse.
Posted inNews
U.S. House OKs 18 bills, but little money, to fight opioid addiction
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives finished work Friday on a package of 18 bills aimed at fighting opioid addiction – but denied President Obama his request for $1.1 billion to confront the growing crisis.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Feds release opioid prescription guidelines
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday released long-awaited guidelines for prescribing opioid-based pain medicine, but it’s not clear how closely doctors will follow them.
Posted inHealth
Connecticut’s drug overdose crisis isn’t slowing down
On average, two people die of a drug overdose every day in Connecticut. This week the Connecticut Mirror and TrendCT are exploring data that illuminate the extent and growth of the crisis. First of four stories.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Governors ask for money, share strategies to combat opioid crisis
WASHINGTON — The nation’s governors have pressed the federal government for money to help them combat the opioid abuse and heroin addiction that has resulted in a spike of overdoses and strained state public health systems. They also shared with the Obama administration and each other policies they’ve implemented to confront the crisis.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Courtney seeking emergency money to fight opioid addiction, overdoses
WASHINGTON – Days after President Obama said he’d ask Congress to boost funds to fight opioid and heroin addiction, Rep. Joe Courtney introduced a bill that would seek $600 million in emergency funds to pay for both drug enforcement and treatment.
Posted inPolitics
Congress takes aim at epidemic of opioid abuse
WASHINGTON — After states have spent years grappling with the problem, Congress may finally address the epidemic of heroin use and abuse of prescription pain killers which has affected Connecticut and the rest of New England more than much of the country.