opioids

When medical bioethicist Travis Rieder tried to taper off pain medication after a roadway accident, he was disappointed by his doctors' reaction: "Everybody had a reason to send me to somebody else."

A bill awaiting the governor's signature would make it easier to prosecute people who sell drugs that lead to an overdose death. 

Oklahoma's trial is the first in a wave of litigation attempting to bring claims against opioid manufacturers. The state is seeking millions of dollars in damages and penalties.

A study looked at who gets prescriptions for buprenorphine, and found that white patients are almost 35 times as likely to get the lifesaving addiction treatment than African Americans.

After dozens of health care workers were charged with illegally prescribing opioids in Appalachia, local health agencies are trying to make sure chronic pain patients don't fall through the cracks.

A Philadelphia group hopes to open a site for people to use drugs under medical supervision. Faced with legal challenges, the group is making a moral and religious case for its proposed facility.

To reduce opioid overdose deaths, North Carolina lawmakers want to crack down on the people who distribute them.

The 10-week trial of five executives from Insys Therapeutics wrapped up in Boston on Friday. The executives are accused of bribing doctors and deceiving insurance companies to boost opioid sales.