Follow the latest Opioid Epidemic news, videos, and analysis from ABC News.
December 31, 2020, 4:06 PM
Mexico fentanyl seizures soar by almost 500% in 2020
The Mexican army says fentanyl seizures increased by 486% in 2020
December 31, 2020, 4:06 PM
1 month ago
Justice Department sues Walmart, alleging it helped fuel the opioid crisis
The Justice Department on Tuesday announced it is suing Walmart.
1 month ago
1 month ago
Purdue Pharma Sacklers face 1st public hearing on role in opioid crisis
A member of the Sackler family, which owns OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma, expressed "sadness" over the nation's opioid epidemic during a congressional hearing Thursday.
1 month ago
1 month ago
Family members who own Purdue to appear before Congress
Two members of the Sackler family have agreed to make a rare public appearance to take questions from a congressional committee that is investigating the role of the company they own, Purdue Pharma, in fueling the nation's opioid epidemic
1 month ago
2 months ago
Inside the Sinaloa Cartel’s fentanyl pipeline
In an episode of her new National Geographic series “Trafficked,” Mariana van Zeller follows the cartel as it sources materials for fentanyl, makes the deadly drug and traffics it into the U.S.
2 months ago
2 months ago
Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, pleads guilty to charges related to nation's opioid crisis
Purdue Pharma is expected to plead guilty to federal conspiracy and kickback charges Tuesday.
2 months ago
2 months ago
Judge approves OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma's settlement over 'multiple serious felonies'
Purdue Pharma, the makers of OxyContin, is seeking bankruptcy court approval regarding a settlement with the DOJ that includes a guilty plea and $8 billion in penalties.
2 months ago
3 months ago
DOJ makes $8B settlement with Purdue Pharma, OxyContin manufacturer, for role in opioid crisis
The Justice Department is expected to announce on Wednesday a settlement of civil and criminal charges.
3 months ago
3 months ago
Worsening opioid crisis overshadowed in presidential race
The coronavirus outbreak and the Trump administration's response to the pandemic have been a dominating theme in this year's presidential race
3 months ago
4 months ago
Mexico sees fentanyl seizures up 465%, denies making drug
Mexican authorities say seizures of the synthetic opioid fentanyl so far this year are 465% higher than in 2019, but progress against the other big Mexican export to the U.S. market _ methamphetamines _ is slower
4 months ago
4 months ago
ABC News Live Update: Brain surgery could curb opioid addiction
Plus, New York City’s mayor delays in-person learning for the second time, and the fires out West have burned at least 3.4 million acres.
4 months ago
4 months ago
Brain surgery may combat opioid addiction
Deep brain stimulation, or DBS, via pacemaker technology may help those battling the addiction, which kills 128 Americans every day.
4 months ago
4 months ago
Drug seizures along Canadian border up 1,000%, CBP says
Nearly 40,000 pounds of marijuana have been seized by the government.
4 months ago
5 months ago
Deadly opioid 'ISO' implicated in at least 19 overdoses in US after China bans fentanyl
Experts are concerned ISO might be the newest dangerous illegal opioid claiming lives.
5 months ago
5 months ago
States says opioid crisis has cost them $630B since 2007
U.S. state and territorial governments say the opioid crisis has cost them $630 billion since 2007 and that the cost could balloon to more than $2 trillion over the next two decades
5 months ago
1 year ago
Video shows opioid-addicted woman ask for medical attention before her death
Madelyn Linsenmeir, 30, died in police custody.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Family of opioid-addicted suspect sues police over her death
The family of a Vermont woman whose obituary gained national attention for its discussion about her opioid addiction has filed a lawsuit accusing police and jail staff of denying her proper medical care and causing her death
1 year ago
1 year ago
Opioid crisis may be worse than thought
A new study has discovered that an under-reporting of opioid-related deaths shows that the problem may be worse than previously thought.
1 year ago
1 year ago
The opioid crisis may be far worse than thought, making the epidemic harder to fight
A substantial share of the documentation on fatal drug overdoses may be missing information on the specific drug that caused the overdose
1 year ago
1 year ago
Opioid settlement still elusive as some lawyers criticize it
Lawyers for some state and local governments say the deal being offered by companies in a sweeping national settlement over the toll of opioids isn't enough
1 year ago
1 year ago
Ohio county may need a second morgue to handle drug overdose deaths, coroner says
Franklin County experienced 10 overdose deaths on one day.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Parents of college student who died after taking fentanyl want to shed light on 'ugly subject'
The parents of a college senior who took fentanyl hope to bring a conversation to the dark subject.
1 year ago
1 year ago
21-year-old dies after taking Xanax laced with fentanyl
Madeline Globe took what she believed was anti-anxiety medication and never woke up.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Treatment for opioid addiction is increasing, except in the young
Individuals aged 15 to 24 years have experienced a decline in treatment from a lifesaving medication.
1 year ago
1 year ago
These insurance companies pledged $55M to lower generic drug prices amidst national crisis
A coalition of health insurers pledged a $55 million investment to help manufacture generic prescription drugs at lower prices Thursday.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Drugmaker head sentenced for role in scheme that contributed to opioid crisis: Part 2
John Kapoor, founder of Insys Therapeutics, was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison and ordered to pay $250,000 for his role in a scheme to coax doctors to prescribe the fentanyl spray SUBSYS.
1 year ago
1 year ago
How prosecutors say drugmaker carried out scheme to sell powerful opioid: Part 1
A war veteran who says his SUBSYS painkiller prescription brought him close to death, a whistleblower and a woman’s family were all on a crusade to hold the drug company Insys' executives accountable.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Feds to let states tap opioid funds for meth, cocaine surge
The nation's drug addiction crisis has morphed in a deadly new direction with more Americans hooked on meth and cocaine
1 year ago
1 year ago
Insys Therapeutics executive sentenced to 3 years in prison for lying about opioid addiction
Michael Gurry was the former vice president of the opioid manufacturer.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Oklahoma reaches $8.75 million settlement with opiate maker
The state of Oklahoma will receive $8.75 million from two pharmaceutical companies in a deal that will end legal action the state was considering against the opioid manufacturers
1 year ago
1 year ago
Washington state sues Johnson & Johnson over opioid crisis
Washington state sued Johnson & Johnson, claiming the company was negligent when it used deceptive marketing to say the drugs were effective for treating pain and were unlikely to cause addiction
1 year ago
1 year ago
Rwanda avoids US-style opioids crisis by making own morphine
Companies don’t make money selling cheap morphine to the poor and dying.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Caring for the youngest victims of the opioid crisis
The opioid epidemic has claimed almost 400,000 lives and ravaged communities.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Democrats weigh in on next stage of impeachment process
Candidates campaign in Iowa with less than two months before the caucuses.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Tennessee doctor pleads guilty to overprescribing opioids
A Tennessee doctor who lost five patients to fatal overdoses in 10 months now faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine
1 year ago
1 year ago
Opioid overdoses, alcohol abuse and suicide driving lower life expectancy in US
Although life expectancy in the U.S. increased by almost 10 years between 1959 and 2016, to 78.9 years from 69.9 years, that progress began to slow down in the 1980s and plateaued in 2011.
1 year ago
1 year ago
'Deaths of despair': Opioid overdoses, alcohol abuse and suicide driving lower life expectancy in US
Life expectancy in the U.S. has been dropping for three years now.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Opioid more deadly than fentanyl found in Seattle
Carfentanil, first detected in March, is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl, according to the DEA.
1 year ago
1 year ago
New surgery to curb opioid crisis
A patient who underwent brain surgery to stop an opioid addiction shares his experience.
1 year ago
1 year ago
White House unveils new website to combat opioid crisis and treat the 'whole person' said Kellyanne Conway
The White House unveiled on Wednesday Findtreatment.gov, a website aimed at helping Americans locate substance abuse treatment more easily.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Large fentanyl seizure called 'weapon of mass destruction' by Ohio attorney general
Over 40 pounds of fentanyl was seized in an Ohio drug bust that officials are saying amounts to "chemical warfare."
1 year ago
1 year ago
'It’s an overdose crisis': Mac Miller's death investigation highlights a dangerous trend in the opioid epidemic
Investigators announced charges against three men in the overdose death of Mac Miller, alleging they distributed counterfeit pharmaceutical pills containing fentanyl.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Meth, not fentanyl, driving overdose deaths in western US
In the majority of states west of the Mississippi River, methamphetamine was the most common drug implicated in drug overdose deaths, according to a government report.
1 year ago
1 year ago
4 companies agree to $260M opioid settlement in Ohio
The three drug distributors and one manufacturer settled claims in two counties hours before a federal trial was set to begin in Cleveland.
1 year ago
1 year ago
$260 million deal averts 1st federal trial on opioid crisis
The nation's three largest drug distributors and a drugmaker have reached a $260 million deal to settle a lawsuit related to the toll of opioids, averting the first federal trial on the crisis
1 year ago
1 year ago
Opioid companies reach tentative $260M settlement just before landmark trial in Ohio
Major drug companies reached a tentative settlement for their involvement in the opioid crisis just hours before the case was set to go to trial.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Opioid companies reach tentative $260M settlement
Hours before a landmark opioid trial was set to start in an Ohio courthouse, major drug distributors and manufacturer agreed to a tentative settlement.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Opioid trial reaches settlement
Four out of the five companies involved in the federal opioid trial in Ohio have reached a $260 million settlement.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Federal opioid trial begins Monday
State and local governments are taking on the makers and distributors of highly addictive painkillers in Cleveland.
1 year ago
1 year ago
Committee pitches concept to settle all opioid lawsuits
More than 2,000 suits seek to hold drug makers accountable for opioid crisis.
1 year ago