SouthAussie
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US opioid deaths rising amid coronavirus lockdowns, state health officials say
Opioid deaths are spiking in places across the U.S. as states remain locked down during the ongoing battle against the coronavirus, state and county health officials reported this month.
Health officials and experts have cited increased isolation and job loss due to statewide shutdowns as possible factors for the surge in drug-related deaths.
US opioid deaths rising amid coronavirus lockdowns, state health officials say
Did you see that the lawsuit against the company that started this ongoing nationwide crisis was finally settled a few days ago? Criminal investigation still ongoing.
BBM
A long-running lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company accused of fuelling the US opioid addiction crisis was settled this week when Purdue Pharma agreed to pay out $8.3 billion, the largest ever such settlement. The firm admitted to violating anti-kickback laws, conspiring to defraud the US and to facilitating the dispensing of medication without a legitimate medical purpose.
In the 1990s, US doctors started prescribing them more liberally, spurred in part by Purdue’s marketing of a new opioid OxyContin, which the firm claimed rarely caused dependence. The firm promoted the product heavily to some doctors with free trips and paid speaking engagements.
But OxyContin can lead to addiction, and some users sought ever-increasing doses.
Deaths caused by opioid overdoses climbed from about 9000 a year in 2000 to 47,000 a year in 2017, although such fatalities may now be plateauing.
The coronavirus pandemic may make matters worse, as many areas have loosened rules about doctors seeing patients face-to-face before prescribing opioids due to the need for social distancing.
Record $8 billion payout won’t turn back the clock on US opioid crisis