How has the substance use disorder population been effected by COVID-19? Learn more here.
Read more2020 Presidential Candidates: Policies for Addressing the Opioid Overdose Crisis.
Each day, over 130 people die from opioid-related overdoses. This includes both prescription and illicit opioids. The National Institute on Drug Abuse attributes the opioid overdose crisis to unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies, who misled healthcare providers to believe opioid pain relievers were not addictive. Other researchers, while agreeing that increased drug supply was an important factor, argue that economic and social issues fueled the crisis, viewing the issue through the lens of a structural and social determinants of health framework.
Read moreOn Ending Physician Health Program Bans on Opioid-Agonist Therapy
A summary of the article “Practicing What We Preach – Ending Physician Health Program Bans on Opioid-Agonist Therapy”, written by Leo Beletsky, Sarah E. Wakeman, and Kevin Fiscella.
Read moreOpioid litigation updates
Updates on opioid litigation around the United States.
Read morePHLW files amicus brief in opiate MDL
On May 3, 2019, Public Health Law Watch and six other amici filed an amicus brief in the national prescription opiate litigation in the northern district of Ohio.
Read morePhiladelphia’s City Council could have fought opioids by placing limits on pharma reps
Does over-prescribing of opioids lie at the heart of the addiction crisis? Some members of Philadelphia City Council along with many public health experts think so. Last week, a bill came before City Council to limit the activities of pharmaceutical sales representatives, also known as detailers, who promote prescription drugs to physicians.
Read moreReports on the Opioid Crisis are Full of Misidentified Problems and Poorly Calibrated Solutions [from Bill of Health]
In April, our Center for Health Policy and Law hosted a two-day conference entitled "Diseases of Despair: The Role of Policy and Law." Our friends at Harvard Law School's Petrie-Flom Center is now hosting a blog symposium from that conference on Bill of Health.
Read morePolicy Pathways to Address Provider Workforce Barriers to Buprenorphine Treatment [from American Journal of Preventive Medicine]
George Consortium member Rebecca L. Haffajee has a new article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine focusing on some of the reasons why only 40% of people with opioid use disorder actually receive medication-assisted treatment. One major reason is that so few physicians are licensed to even prescribe buprenorphine (such as Suboxone). Numerous workplace barriers contribute to this lack of licensing, including insufficient training, lack of peer support, inadequate reimbursement, and regulatory hurdles.
Read moreIt's Time for Uncomfortable Solutions to the Opioid Epidemic [from The Fix]
We are thrilled to present some work from brand new George Consortium member Abraham Gutman! This piece from The Fix discusses the fact that we need to get creative, and uncomfortable, in addressing the opioid crisis. Be sure to follow Av's great Twitter feed at @abgutman.
Read moreQ&A: Holding Drugmakers Accountable for Opioid Crisis
Recently, George Consortium member and University of Michigan professor Rebecca Haffajee gave an interview to the Associated Press, addressing issues around opioid companies and litigation:
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