A massive, nationwide opioid settlement could be in the works

Small towns, big cities, and everything in between — they would all get a share of a settlement with opioid manufacturers if an “comprehensive national opioid settlement with the pharmaceutical industry” is approved. (Notably, this doesn’t affect various state cases against drug companies and “doesn’t invite potential plaintiffs from among other types already in the federal litigation, such as tribes, unions and hospitals.”)

Sorry, no dollar figure has been mentioned yet.

To determine what each municipality would receive, the lead plaintiffs’ lawyers have created an interactive map that will immediately show each participant their expected share of any proposed settlement. The lawyers created the map using federal data pinpointing distribution of prescriptions as well as opioid overdoses and deaths nationwide.

Infusion Options recalls, well, everything

The company issued a voluntary recall for “all lots of all sterile products within expiry to the hospital level” due to a lack of assurance of sterility.

You can’t make me talk

Amgen, Eli Lilly, and Merck are suing the Trump administration, saying that being required to put drug prices in ads violates their First Amendment rights. Their concern, the companies say, is for the patients who may not take their drugs because they think the price is too high.

The real threat from Amazon

Big pharmacy companies might say they aren’t worried about Amazon entering the market, but in reality they are. Not because of the prescription-filling angle — because Amazon is looking to bypass the PBMs. with its acquisition of PillPack.

“While investors have viewed PillPack as a risk factor for retail pharmacies…[the] lawsuit shows that PBMs are now also at risk of being disintermediated, especially if [Amazon’s] efforts to directly contract with large payers gains traction.”

Cold weather increases opioid overdoses

The headline says it all, really. “The new analysis uncovered a 25 percent increase in opioid overdose deaths within three to seven days of freezing temperatures, compared to stretches when the temperature averaged 52 degrees Fahrenheit.”

Horns and hard art

The headline: “Horns are growing on young people’s skulls. Phone use is to blame, research suggests.”

The reality: It’s true — people are developing actual bone spurs on the backs of their skulls, although phone use might not be the only culprit.

Here’s the art*:

* We needed to call it “art” to make the headline pun work

Elsewhere: Out West Edition

A new New Mexico law requires that any opioid script for more than five days includes a co-prescription for naloxone.

Insurers in California were discriminating against people who wanted to take the HIV-preventative medication Truvada, aka pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP. The state called them out, and now “many insurers have reported that they’ve already stopped discriminating against people who take PrEP.”