Princeton economist Alan Krueger, who served in the Obama White House, has died. Krueger's research interests included the minimum wage, the opioid epidemic and rock 'n' roll. He was 58.
Lawsuits over the way drugmakers have marketed opioids are already putting a dent in companies' reputations. Litigation has forced the release of internal documents that are shifting the narrative.
The U.S. government is intervening to stop the creation of a medical facility in Philadelphia where people could inject heroin without risk of overdose. Canada and Europe already have such sites.
The Massachusetts attorney general alleges that the family behind Purdue Pharma knew that OxyContin was causing overdoses, yet continued to cash in. New documents in the case were released Thursday.
"These sobering statistics are a wakeup call that we are losing too many Americans, too early and too often, to conditions that are preventable," says CDC Director Robert Redfield.
Public health officials says it's simple to save the lives of people experiencing an opioid overdose: Give an antidote. But for a bystander, that intervention can be daunting.
Overdose deaths started to level off near the end of 2017 and are "finally bending in the right direction," says Alex Azar, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, citing early data.
While a majority of Americans know about naloxone, there is confusion about the fact that in most places a prescription isn't required to obtain the emergency overdose treatment.
The rollout of the first lady's policy initiative was delayed by her illness and hospitalization in May, but the White House says she'll be making more appearances in the weeks to come.
States are passing laws that limit a doctor's ability to prescribe opioids. Doctors and patients alike are wrestling with what that means in cases of chronic pain
Counties with higher rates of opioid use skewed heavily Republican in the 2016 election. What role did the opioid epidemic play in President Trump's victory?
The 1996 federal ban aimed to punish drug offenders, but research shows denying aid disproportionately affects the poor and increases recidivism. Many states have opted out or modified the policy.
Congressional investigators say hundreds of millions of dollars of fentanyl is coming into the U.S. by mail. But lawmakers are finding it hard to stop.
The drug naloxone can reverse opioid overdoses and save lives. U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams says more Americans should have naloxone on hand in case loved ones, friends or neighbors need help.
Researchers looked at states with medical marijuana dispensaries and those that allow home cultivation. They found lower use of opioids, when compared with states where marijuana remains illegal.
Opioid overdoses and related deaths are still climbing, according to U.S. statistics. Teasing out which overdoses are intentional can be hard, but is important for treatment, doctors say.
Opioid overdoses increased 30 percent nationwide between 2016 and 2017, with some places showing even more dramatic spikes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Trump administration has talked about prioritizing the opioid crisis, but states have seen little in the way of new resources. And, in some states, getting into treatment is becoming even harder.
Collaboration was key for the 10 emergency rooms that cut opioid prescriptions by 36 percent. Doctors say they now use less addictive medicines to manage pain and have shifted patients' expectations.
Alabama is one of several states, including Ohio and Mississippi, and municipalities filing suit against opioid manufacturers over deceptive marketing of prescription painkillers.
Other towns were similarly inundated, in a state that now has the highest rate of drug overdose deaths. In 2008, one wholesaler provided 5,624 pills for every man, woman and child in Kermit, W.Va.
