Lawsuits against OxyContin owners on hold; judge orders negotiations

A judge has kept lawsuits against OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family who own it on hold until Feb. 1 but ordered the parties to negotiate a new settlement. Connecticut and Washington state argued that suits against the Sacklers should be allowed to move ahead immediately.

'It is terrifying:' Record year of fentanyl seizures leaves Arizona authorities reeling, families grieving

The amount of fentanyl the Drug Enforcement Administration has seized this year is the most they've seen in history, and they're expecting things to ramp up in the last few days of the year, especially around New Year's Eve.

Jury finds CVS, Walgreens, Walmart responsible for role in opioid crisis

The counties blamed pharmacies operated by CVS, Walgreens and Walmart for not stopping the flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdose deaths and cost each of the two counties about $1 billion, their attorney said.

US overdose deaths topped 100,000 in a year for 1st time, CDC says

An estimated 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in one year, topping deaths from car crashes, guns and even flu and pneumonia, CDC data shows.

San Francisco could get a safe drug consumption site as early as next spring

The City of San Francisco is pursuing a policy to allow safe consumption sites to address the problem of drug overdoses and open use on city streets. 

SoCal parents booked for murder in Fentanyl overdose death of 15-month-old son

Investigators determined that Adler Metcalf, 22, and Sandy Acuna, 20, were responsible for possessing the Fentanyl that killed their 15-month-old son, who died from an overdose back in September.

Jake Ehlinger died from accidental overdose, family says

The family released a statement Thursday saying that Ehlinger “was a victim of an accidental overdose of what was believed to be Xanax laced with toxic drugs including deadly Fentanyl.”

Maricopa County signs onto massive national opioid settlement

Maricopa County has become the first local government in Arizona to sign on to a massive settlement agreement with pharmaceutical companies over the nation’s opioid epidemic.

Fentanyl seizures escalate in Pinal County as death toll from accidental drug overdoses rise

Officials with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office say they have had more overdose deaths than COVID-19 deaths in 2020. In fact, they get a fentanyl-related call every couple days.

Purdue Pharma opioid settlement: Judge conditionally OKs $4.5B agreement

A judge on Wednesday gave conditional approval to a sweeping, potentially $10 billion plan submitted by OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to settle a mountain of lawsuits over its role in the opioid crisis.

Ex-Purdue Pharma president denies responsibility for opioid crisis

Former Purdue Pharma president and chair Richard Sackler says he, his family and the company do not have any responsibility for the opioid crisis in the United States.

4 companies on verge of settling $26B deal in lawsuits over toll of opioid prescriptions

The three biggest U.S. drug distribution companies and the drugmaker Johnson & Johnson are on the verge of a $26 billion deal to settle lawsuits brought by state and local governments across the country over the toll of prescription opioids.

J&J to pay $230M to settle claims it helped fuel opioid crisis

As part of the deal, the drugmaker also agreed to end the manufacturing and distribution of opioids across New York and the rest of the nation.