opioids

Johnson & Johnson Ordered To Pay $572 Million For Opioid Addiction Crisis

August 27, 2019 by Michael Edwards

Yesterday, an Oklahoma judge Thad Balkman, of Cleveland County District Court, ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572.1 million to the state for fueling an opioid epidemic with deceptive marketing practices. The shares for Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) were up… [read]

First Major Pharmaceutical Company, Former Executives, Charged Criminally For Opioid Scandal

April 24, 2019 by Michael Edwards

New York City indicted Rochester Drug Co-Operative, Laurence Doud III, and William Pietruszewski, on Tuesday. Doud is the retired CEO of the Rochester Drug Co-Operative. William Pietruszewski is the company’s former chief of compliance. NPR reports they are being charged… [read]

Americans Are More Likely To Die From Opioid Overdoses Than Car Accidents

January 16, 2019 by Michael Edwards

Americans are most likely to die of heart disease. It’s listed as the number one cause of death in America said to kill 635,260 people a year. Car accidents kill about 40,000 people a year. Car accident deaths are on… [read]

Despite Addiction Concerns, FDA Approves Potent New Opioid Painkiller 1,000x Stronger Than Morphine

November 4, 2018 by Michael Edwards
Last updated on: January 16, 2019

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new opioid medication that’s up to 10 times more powerful than fentanyl. Critics say the drug will contribute to the opioid crisis. The new drug is called Dsuvia. It’s produced by a… [read]

Colbert Calls Out Big Pharma For New Plans To Profit On Opioid Addiction (Video)

September 18, 2018 by Michael Edwards
Last updated on: January 16, 2019

Purdue Pharma, creators of Oxycontin, developed and patented a new drug earlier this year aimed to help those addicted to opioids to stop top taking them. This new drug is a fast-acting form of buprenorphine. It’s a mild opioid intended… [read]

Puget Sound Mussels Contain Opioids, Antidepressants, and Chemotherapy Drugs

June 4, 2018 by Kristina Martin
Last updated on: June 4, 2018

The biannual Puget Sound mussel monitoring study found that three of eighteen samples of native bay mussels contained trace amounts of oxycodone, the chemotherapy drug Melphalan, and antidepressants. Scientists from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) transplant uncontaminated… [read]

Less Opioid Prescriptions Where Marijuana Is Legal

May 1, 2018 by Michael Edwards

Two papers published in April in JAMA Internal Medicine that analyzed more than five years of Medicare Part D and Medicaid prescription data found that when states allow for the use of marijuana the number of opioid prescribed, and the… [read]