The $572 million judgment against Johnson & Johnson will cover one year of addiction treatment and prevention the judge says. But health economists predict it will take decades to abate the problem.
Overdose deaths involving fentanyl are rising — up 113 percent on average each year from 2013 to 2016. Dealers are adding cheap fentanyl to the illicit drug supply, and some users get it accidentally.
The group says it has 18 chapters in eight states, all of them funded by private, anonymous donations. Members distribute free and clean drug-use supplies even at the risk of being arrested.
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.
The overdose antidote naloxone could soon be available in more public places. The Veterans Administration is adding it to its automated defibrillator cabinets. Other institutions are following suit.
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.
Opioid addiction is often portrayed as a white problem, but overdose rates are now rising faster among Latinos and blacks. Cultural and linguistic barriers may put Latinos at greater risk.
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.
Standards for how to investigate and report on overdoses vary widely across states and counties. As a result, opioid overdose deaths often go overlooked in the data reported to the federal government.
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.
Alabama is one of several states, including Ohio and Mississippi, and municipalities filing suit against opioid manufacturers over deceptive marketing of prescription painkillers.
Philadelphia officials gave the OK to establishing safe injection sites for drug users. But it's unclear where the sites would be located and who would fund and operate them.
The opioid epidemic caused U.S. life expectancy to fall for the second year in a row, marking the first time that has happened since the early 1960s. Death rates also continued to rise.
