STAT stories you might have missed in 2023
There’s an old story in journalism, and it goes like this: A reporter is asked,…
Category: opioids
STAT+: Vertex non-opioid drug reduces chronic nerve pain in mid-stage study
Vertex Pharmaceuticals said Wednesday that an experimental drug reduced pain in people with diabetes who…
Methadone clinics spar with addiction doctors on bill that would widen access
Lawmakers on Tuesday will debate an addiction medicine proposal that would have been considered unthinkable…
Sweeping bill to fight opioid addiction will be considered by Senate health committee
The Senate health care committee will consider a sweeping bill next week meant to combat…
Supreme Court wrestles with OxyContin maker’s bankruptcy deal
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday wrestled with a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker…
STAT+: U.S. Supreme Court to review controversial Purdue Pharma bankruptcy settlement
After weeks of anticipation, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will hear arguments to decide…
Overdose deaths during pregnancy spiked over the past few years, study says
Overdose deaths among pregnant or postpartum people skyrocketed between 2018 and 2021, according to new…
STAT+: A digital pill shows early promise in detecting opioid overdose, sleep apnea
Gathering health data remotely is a pain. Forgetting to slip on a wearable is easy,…
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To fight bias against people with addiction, White House calls for ‘recovery-friendly’ workplaces
The Biden administration on Thursday issued a call to action for the nation’s employers to…
Senate bill would permanently extend Covid-era rules on telehealth addiction treatment
A bipartisan group of senators this week introduced a bill that would permanently allow health…
Opinion: I lost my son to OxyContin. ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ is my Sackler revenge fantasy
Editor’s note: This essay contains spoilers for the Netflix show “The Fall of the House…
STAT+: Federal bill would keep addiction medication from triggering a child abuse investigation
When Keri McCallum‘s doctor prescribed her Suboxone, she was told it was the “safest thing…
Markey and Manchin urge FDA to stop its study of opioids for chronic pain
Two Democratic senators are warning the Food and Drug Administration not to proceed with a…
STAT+: Pear’s shadow effect: Data from a Medicaid digital health experiment does the policy rounds
Pear Therapeutics may be gone, but one of its most important deals is still driving…
Not yet free from heroin’s grip, an ‘honest, funny man’ finds his way off the streets
PHILADELPHIA — Shaun Anderson hasn’t slept this late in the day in years. He still…
Republicans say they’ll stop fentanyl at the border. But what are their plans for treatment?
Americans are dying of fentanyl overdoses in record numbers, and the Republican presidential candidates are…
A big insurer decides to cover naloxone for overdose; will others follow?
At long last, naloxone is available over the counter. But now comes a moment of…
His book on the opioid crisis flopped in 2003. It now has a new life on Netflix
A new Netflix TV show about the origins and consequences of the opioid epidemic is…
Opinion: Q&A: Giving voice to patients navigating cancer, rare disease, and more
Health care is about many things — understanding and treating disease, practicing medicine, developing new…
Providers still hesitate to prescribe buprenorphine for addiction, despite ‘X-waiver’ removal
Significant challenges remain before most American clinicians feel comfortable treating patients with buprenorphine, according to…
Key lawmaker blasts Congress’ efforts on addiction: ‘Shame on us’
A Democratic congressman on Wednesday blasted a bipartisan set of proposals focused on addiction, arguing…
‘We fail people’: New data on disparities in Medicaid access to opioid addiction treatment
An estimated 82,998 people died from opioid overdoses in the U.S. last year. A new…
Xylazine, or ‘tranq,’ is making opioid overdoses harder to reverse
For years, public health guidance about opioid overdoses has been relatively simple: Administer naloxone, then…
STAT+: Pharmalittle: FDA cites another troubled plant at company contributing to cancer drug shortages; USDA to push food producers over antibiotic claims
And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too…
White House ‘naloxone summit’ omitting prominent advocates for lower costs
The invite list for the White House’s upcoming “summit” on naloxone pricing and accessibility has…
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‘The drug bust paradox’: Study shows opioid deaths double after police action
Police drug busts are strongly associated with a large and sudden spike in overdose deaths,…
Teens seeking addiction care unlikely to be offered standard medication
Adolescents who seek treatment for opioid addiction at an inpatient facility are more likely to…
Top health officials call for more research to support fentanyl test strips
The government’s top addiction scientists and key public health officials are calling for more research…
STAT+: Drug companies and pharmacies reach $17.3 billion settlement over opioid crisis
Two large drugmakers and two of the biggest pharmacy chains finalized a $17.3 billion deal…
Sacklers win appeal that shields them from opioid lawsuits, clearing way for bankruptcy settlement
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday Purdue Pharma can shield its owners — members of…
STAT+: Addiction treatment center founder indicted in sprawling fraud scheme
Over the last few years, Daniel Cleggett Jr. appeared to be living a charmed life….
New nasal spray to reverse fentanyl and other opioid overdoses gets FDA approval
WASHINGTON — U.S. health regulators on Monday approved a new, easy-to-use version of a medication…
Biden drug czar: ‘All options are on the table’ for expanding methadone access
WASHINGTON — The federal government is aggressively exploring ways to increase access to methadone, a…
STAT+: Biden drug czar to summon naloxone makers to White House to discuss pricing
WASHINGTON — The White House is summoning naloxone manufacturers for a roundtable focused on the…
U.S. backs study of safe injection sites, overdose prevention
For the first time, the U.S. government will pay for a large study measuring whether…
To ease start of addiction treatment, doctors find surprise aid: ketamine
Ever since fentanyl came to dominate the U.S. illicit drug supply, doctors and patients have…
DEA will delay telemedicine restrictions for buprenorphine, Adderall and other drugs
The Drug Enforcement Administration is holding off on making sweeping changes to the way certain…
Pennsylvania set to ban supervised drug use sites, in setback for harm reduction
Pennsylvania lawmakers are set to pass a new ban on supervised drug consumption, effectively ending…
Dying patients protest looming telehealth crackdown
At age 93, struggling with the effects of a stroke, heart failure and recurrent cancer,…
STAT+: Narcan manufacturer aims to price over-the-counter kit under $50
The manufacturer of Narcan, the overdose reversal medication that received over-the-counter status last month, says…
STAT+: Pharmalittle: White House to tap cancer center chief to lead NIH; generic abortion pill maker sues FDA
Top of the morning to you. Gray skies are hovering over the Pharmalot campus right…
FDA’s new plan to study opioids’ effectiveness faces resistance
The Food and Drug Administration’s latest plan to study whether opioids are effective as a…
Opinion: OTC naloxone is a baby step toward making the life-saving medication accessible
In an attempt to make naloxone more accessible amid the massive human toll of the…
White House designates xylazine, better known as ‘tranq,’ as an emerging drug threat
The White House on Wednesday issued an unprecedented warning about xylazine, the veterinary tranquilizer increasingly…
A controversial hire at Arnold Ventures raises questions about the donor’s stance on addiction
A philanthropic giant’s recent hire of a researcher with controversial theories on naloxone access is…
FDA approves over-the-counter Narcan. Here’s what it means
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved selling naloxone without a prescription, setting the overdose-reversing…
How the drug industry uses fear of fentanyl to extract more profit from naloxone
As the U.S. drug crisis has accelerated, the pharmaceutical industry has jumped into action —…
Newly available test strips can detect lethal ‘tranq’ in drug supply
Public health workers will soon have a new tool at their disposal to thwart a…
Have you had difficulty getting access to medications for opioid addiction?
STAT is reporting on the obstacles that prevent many Americans from accessing methadone and buprenorphine,…
Methadone doses haven’t kept up in the age of fentanyl. A new rule aims to help
Patients beginning treatment for opioid addiction often face excruciating withdrawal symptoms. But for people struggling…