Congress is following up the case of four drug industry giants who have reached a combined $26 billion settlement for their role in the opioid epidemic, and now plan to recoup more than $1 billion for legal costs. Lawmakers have expressed concern about a possible misuse of a tax provision intended to help companies struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic—not to provide a cash refund to firms that contributed to a nationwide drug crisis. And they have asked the companies—Johnson & Johnson, AmeriSourceBergen, McKesson and Cardinal Health—to commit to not using the tax loophole.
Meanwhile, Long Island prosecutors have taken the unusual step of indicting a former doctor for murdering five of his patients whose deaths were opioid-related after he prescribed prescription painkillers for them. It is the first time in New York that a doctor has been charged under the legal theory that “depraved indifference” led to the patients’ deaths. Other states and communities ravaged by the opioid epidemic have brought similar cases, but there have been few convictions as the burden of proof is high.
And finally, a new study shows teens that misuse opioids are more likely to exhibit suicidal behaviors. About one of every three high school students that misused prescription opioids had attempted suicide, according to a study in Pediatrics. Misuse could stem from relieving physical pain from a medical procedure, curiosity, socializing or succumbing to peer pressure.