DE Talk | Uncovering the Non-Traditional Workforce: Recruiting & Retaining Talent in Addiction Recovery
On January 30, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Journavx (suzetrigine) 50 milligram oral tablets, a first-in-class non-opioid analgesic, to treat moderate to severe acute pain in adults. It is the first new type...more
A national class action on behalf of multiple Canadian governments to recover opioid epidemic healthcare costs simplifies the aggregation, prosecution, and determination of claims that span geographic boundaries. That is what...more
Friday marked the end of what felt like the longest week in legislative history — and the beginning of a three-week sprint to Legislative Day 40. While most lawmakers and lobbyists are eager for adjournment sine die, it...more
Executive Summary: This is Part 3 of a series of Alerts exploring different facets of the ongoing opioid addiction crisis afflicting our country. Our initial Alert on June 12, 2023 outlined the big-picture issues associated...more
Kratom, a natural substance derived from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree, has recently gained notoriety for its potential dangers. While proponents cite its therapeutic benefits, concerns have surged about its...more
Suboxone is a medication used to treat opioid addiction, containing buprenorphine and naloxone. While Suboxone is highly effective in helping individuals overcome opioid dependence, there have been concerns about its...more
In 2020, over 142 million prescriptions for opioid medications were filled in the U.S. That same year, 16,416 people died from overdoses on prescription opioids—a 376% increase from 1999....more
Ohio is eliminating the Ohio Board of Pharmacy’s (“BoP”) regulation of office-based opioid treatment (“OBOT”) clinics. Ohio law currently requires any clinic where a prescriber provides treatment for opioid dependence or...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Calendar Year (CY) 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule on Nov. 1, 2022, which impacts Medicare Part B payments starting on Jan. 1, 2023....more
On March 29, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida held that in order to engage in protected conduct under the False Claims Act (“FCA”), a plaintiff must specifically suspect that their employer...more
In a shift from prior policy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proposed on February 22, 2022, new guidelines for prescribing opioid painkillers. The new guidance largely avoids figures on dosage strength...more
As the opioid abuse and drug overdose crisis rages, experts - after decades now of experience with powerful painkillers - continue to struggle with their proper handling and prescribing. The federal Centers for Disease...more
Patients who say they were injured by wealthy corporations must possess great fortitude as they seek justice in the civil system, as has been reaffirmed by the courts in California and Oklahoma that rejected separate cases...more
Our Virtual Regional Healthcare Compliance Conferences provide updates on the latest news in regulatory requirement, compliance enforcement, and strategies to develop effective compliance programs. Watch, listen, and ask...more
On July 6, 2021, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed into law Public Act 21-113 titled “An Act Concerning Opioids” (PA 21-113), which establishes pilot programs to help serve persons with opioid use disorder in urban,...more
By legislation enacted last month, on June 9, 2021, amending the New York Finance Law, Mental Hygiene Law and Executive Law, New York State established an opioid settlement fund (“OSF”). Finance Law §99-nn(1). The purpose...more
Health workers with legal prescribing privileges have gotten newly revised federal guidelines — once again — making it easier for them to help those addicted to powerful opioid painkillers by prescribing buprenorphine,...more
Members of the plutocratic Sackler clan have upped the ante yet again in a bankruptcy court bid to settle thousands of lawsuits targeting Purdue Pharmaceutical, the company long in the family’s grip and blamed for untold...more
While too many Americans struggle with skyrocketing prescription drug costs, so much so that a $10 insurance co-payment may be lethally dissuasive, Big Pharma firms are seeking billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded benefits...more
The opioid abuse and drug overdose crisis has tarred yet another of the nation’s business titans: McKinsey, a globally renowned consulting firm, has discovered that providing corporate clients sketchy advice about addictive,...more
Notable Cases - Here are a few of the major cases of interest within the state Attorneys General community that are receiving significant press coverage. ...more
Consulting standard-bearer McKinsey & Co. will pay $573 million to resolve state investigations and allegations related to its role “in helping ‘turbocharge’ opioid sales, a rare instance of it being held publicly accountable...more
The Justice Department handed Walmart a huge slap in the face last year with the filing of a comprehensive civil case alleging that Walmart knowingly distributed large quantities of opioids in disregard of the law that fueled...more
The stain of the nation’s opioid abuse and drug overdose crisis has spread now to Bentonville, Ark., as federal prosecutors have sued Walmart, accusing the nation’s largest retailer of improperly allowing its pharmacists to...more
The DEA struggles to balance the pressing need to provide pain relief for those suffering from the novel coronavirus with the ongoing effort to reduce the opioid epidemic in the United States. I. Overview on the DEA and the...more