Category: opioid abuse

Addressing Addiction, Australia Reconsiders Opioid Pain Relief Treatment

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) is encouraging Australia’s healthcare professionals to reconsider opioid treatment as it is currently administered. At least one prescription for opioids is dispensed to more than three million people annually, according to 2016-2017 statistics collected by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. However, although opioids are…


Aliso Viejo Joins $26 Billion Nation-Wide Settlement With Opioid Distributors, Manufacturers

ALISO VIEJO, Calif.—The Aliso Viejo City Council unanimously approved to opt into a $26 billion settlement agreement with opioid painkiller distributors and manufacturers on Dec. 1, receiving an estimated total of $226,000 over 18 years. The council approved the item without a discussion, Mitzi Ortiz, director of government services for Aliso Viejo, told The Epoch Times….


Pharmacy Chains Go on Trial in 1st Case Over US Opioid Epidemic

CLEVELAND—A lawyer for two Ohio counties told a federal jury on Monday at the start of a closely watched opioid trial that oversight failures by four large pharmacy operators including CVS Health Corp and Walmart Inc. helped fuel the deadly U.S. health crisis. Mark Lanier told a federal jury in Cleveland hearing on the first…


Drug Distributors Strike First Opioid Settlement With Native American Tribe for $75 Million

The three largest U.S. drug distributors will pay more than $75 million to resolve claims they fueled an opioid epidemic in the Cherokee Nation’s territory in Oklahoma, marking the first settlement with a tribal government in the litigation over the U.S. addiction crisis. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin on Tuesday said the settlement, which…


Drug Overdoses Kill More Than Five Australians a Day: Report

More than five Australians died from drugs overdoses every day in 2019, says a new report by the National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC). According to the annual report released on Thursday, over 1,860 Australians lost their lives to drugs in 2019, with the majority of the deaths deemed unintentional. This marks Australia’s fifth year…