opioids News

Doctors Who Say No to Opioid Use Face Threats From Patients

One patient threatened to shoot Dr. Terry Hunt if physical therapy didn’t relieve his pain as effectively as opioids did. Another harassed his staff, then roamed a hospital searching for Hunt after being told he would be weaned off painkillers …

Walmart Lawsuit Against U.S. Over Opioids Is Dismissed

A federal judge has dismissed Walmart Inc’s lawsuit seeking to preemptively block the U.S. government from blaming the world’s largest retailer for its alleged role in fueling the nation’s opioid crisis. U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan said the government had …

U.S. Appeals Court Rejects Novel Opioid Settlement Framework

A federal appeals court on Thursday overturned a judge’s approval of a novel plan by lawyers representing cities and counties suing drug companies over the U.S. opioid crisis that would bring every community nationally into their settlement talks. The 6th …

Injured Workers Pharmacy Paying $11M to Settle Complaint

A mail-order pharmacy that fought frequent court battles against workers’ compensation insurers will pay $11 million and change its business practices to settle a civil complaint by the Massachusetts attorney general’s office. Injured Workers Pharmacy, or IWP, improperly dispensed opioids …

U.S. Prosecutors Open Criminal Probe of Opioid Makers, Distributors

Federal prosecutors are investigating six pharmaceutical companies for potential criminal charges in connection with shipping big quantities of opioid painkillers that contributed to a healthcare crisis, according to regulatory filings. Five companies have received subpoenas from the U.S. Attorney’s office …

Oklahoma Judge Reduces Johnson & Johnson Opioid Payout to $465 Million

An Oklahoma judge on Friday said Johnson & Johnson must pay that state $465 million for fueling the opioid epidemic through the deceptive marketing of painkillers, down from his original award of $572 million. The decision by Cleveland County District …

Work Comp Insurers Find Doctors Willing to Bend When Asked to Curb Opioid Use

Workers’ compensation insurers are reporting dramatic reductions in opioid use by injured workers. In some cases, all it took was asking doctors to stop renewing prescriptions. A peer-reviewed study by Mitchell International and Utah’s WCF Mutual Insurance Co. found that …

J&J Faces 100,000 More Damage Claims After Taking $8 Billion Hit

Johnson & Johnson has taken some costly beatings in court this year. And it could get worse. Just last week, a jury ordered J&J to pay $8 billion for wrongfully pushing doctors to prescribe the anti-psychotic drug Risperdal. While the …

Special Report: How Judges Added to the Grim Toll of Opioids

WELCH, West Virginia — The opioid epidemic that has so far killed half a million Americans is routinely blamed on greedy drug makers, feckless doctors and lax regulators. But there’s another group that has contributed to the depth and duration …

Billions at Stake in Opioid Suits, But It’s No Tobacco Windfall

An Oklahoma case, the first of more than 1,600 lawsuits filed by U.S. state and local governments against opioid makers to go to trial, could serve as a key benchmark for governments hoping to recoup costs associated with the public …