Doctor facing life in prison for thousands of opioid doses
By the time drug enforcement agents swooped into his small medical office in Martinsville, Virginia, in 2017, Dr. Joel Smithers had prescribed about a half a million doses of highly addictive opioids in two years.
Prosecutors announce charges as part of federal health care fraud takedown
Officials announced a coordinated health care fraud enforcement action across seven federal districts.
Feds raid Bensalem home of pain management doctor indicted in alleged drug scheme
Authorities have arrested a pain management doctor following a raid on his Bucks County home.
Pennsylvania to give away up to 10,000 naloxone kits Wednesday
The life-saving drug naloxone will be offered free of charge at libraries and health centers across the Delaware Valley Wednesday.
Father, toddler die from drug overdose, fentanyl exposure
The Santa Rosa father of the baby killed by drugs has also died of an overdose.
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma files for bankruptcy amid thousands of opioid lawsuits
Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy in the first step in a complex, multibillion-dollar plan by the maker of OxyContin to settle thousands of lawsuits brought against it by state and local governments over the nation's deadly opioid disaster.
The rise and fall of an Eagle Scout's fentanyl empire
A 29-year-old college dropout and Eagle Scout named Aaron Shamo allegedly made himself a millionaire by building a fentanyl trafficking empire with not much more than his computer and the help of a few friends.
Pa. sues Sackler family over role in opioid crisis
The Pennsylvania attorney general is suing some members of the family that founded and controls Purdue Pharma over their role in the opioid crisis after a tentative settlement with 20 other states was announced.
Berks County physician charged with over prescribing opioids
Authorities have arrested a Berks County physician who they say prescribed illegal doses of opioids and aided in the sale of pills on the streets.
Bensalem police unveil program to connect opioid users with treatment providers
On Monday, the Bensalem Township Police Department unveiled a new initiative aimed at tackling the opioid epidemic by connecting users with treatment providers.
Opioid talks at impasse; Purdue Pharma bankruptcy filing expected
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is expected to file for bankruptcy after settlement talks over the nation's deadly overdose crisis hit an impasse, attorneys general involved in the talks said Saturday.
Pa. gets $75M more in federal aid for opioid fight
Pennsylvania will receive another $75 million in federal aid to fight the opioid-addiction crisis, money that Gov. Tom Wolf's administration says will help with treatment, prevention and education.
Judge grills US attorney who opposes injection site plan in Philadelphia
A federal judge in Philadelphia has been grilling the city's top federal prosecutor over his opposition to a supervised injection site meant to address the opioid crisis.
Delaware officials report 6 suspected overdose deaths
Delaware public health officials say six people died of suspected drug overdoses over the Labor Day weekend.
US attorney in Philadelphia asks judge to block safe injection site
Photos of young people lost to the opioid crisis are perched outside the federal courthouse as a judge Monday decides if Philadelphia can become the first U.S. city to open a supervised injection site.
Officials: 22 guns, 40,000 drug doses seized in NJ; 38 arrested
New Jersey's attorney general says authorities have seized more nearly 40,000 doses of heroin and fentanyl as well as 22 firearms as part of two separate probes in Trenton and Paterson.
Couple celebrates overcoming meth addiction with inspiring before and after photos
Brent Walker has struggled with addiction since he was just 9 years old.
Cities again see more overdose deaths than rural areas
U.S. drug overdose deaths had been most common in Appalachia and other rural areas in recent years, but they are back to being more concentrated in big cities, according to a government report Friday.
Revamped OxyContin was supposed to reduce abuse, but has it?
Dr. Raeford Brown was uniquely positioned to help the U.S. government answer a critical question: Is a new version of the painkiller OxyContin helping fight the national opioid epidemic?
Number of national overdose deaths appears to be falling
U.S. overdose deaths last year likely fell for the first time in nearly three decades, preliminary numbers suggest.