A landmark opioid trial puts spotlight on pharmacy chains CVS, Walmart and Walgreens The country's biggest name-brand pharmacy chains face a high-profile civil trial beginning Monday in Cleveland, Ohio over their role in the nation's deadly opioid epidemic. Brian Mann Play AudioListen 3 mins
Corporate opioid payouts now being finalized would top $32 billion Companies at the center of the deadly prescription opioid epidemic are close to deals that would cap their liability while funding drug treatment and recovery programs. Brian Mann Play AudioListen 4 mins
Federal Way seeks to stamp out fentanyl fumes by punishing smokers Federal Way is trying to clear its air of fentanyl smoke. Anna Boiko-Weyrauch Play AudioListen 2 mins
A community conversation about Seattle and the overdose crisis King County is experiencing a record amount of overdose deaths. The number of residents who died from a drug overdose has doubled over the past five years. KUOW invited a panel of experts in the field of addiction and recovery to share their on-the-ground experience and answer your questions about this public health crisis. Here are a few key takeaways from that conversation. Anna Boiko-Weyrauch Play AudioListen 2 hours
CDC issues new opioid prescribing guidance, giving doctors more leeway to treat pain The updated recommendations seek to course correct after guidelines from 2016 were criticized for harshly limiting access to needed pain medication. Pien Huang Will Stone
Walmart offers to pay $3.1 billion to settle opioid lawsuits The retail giant become the latest major player in the drug industry to announce a plan to settle lawsuits filed by state and local governments over the toll of opioids sold at its pharmacies. The Associated Press
Increasing overdose deaths stress King County morgue King County is experiencing a grim indicator of how bad the opioid crisis has become — a lack of space to store bodies. Public Health Director Faisal Khan said the Medical Examiner's office has finite space in the coolers they use, and that space is being exceeded on a regular basis. Kate Walters
New state dashboard shows rising drug-related deaths A new state dashboard gives further insight into the number of drug-related deaths and hospitalizations occurring in Washington. The dashboard shows there were 7,598 fatal overdoses from 2017 through 2021, the majority related to opioids. Deaths have been climbing sharply for the past few years. Kate Walters
Fentanyl death toll continues to surge in King County King County continues to face an alarming number of drug-related fatalities, many related to the potent synthetic opioid, fentanyl. According to county data, there were 3 fentanyl-involved deaths in 2015. In recent years, such deaths have risen dramatically, totaling 712 last year. Kate Walters
