Babies Born in Withdrawal New Complication in Opioid Cases

The expansive court case seeking to hold drugmakers responsible for the nation's opioid crisis has a new complication: How does it deal with claims covering the thousands of babies born dependent on the drugs? Attorneys representing the children and their guardians want their claims separated from the federal case in Cleveland that involves hundreds of local governments and other entities such as hospitals. They told a skeptical panel of judges in New York on Thursday that they have different legal issues, a need for faster relief because the babies need services in the first years of their lives. They also told the judges that as it is, they lack the leverage to exact a settlement from drug companies. Babies, unlike governments or businesses, have been directly harmed by the actions of drugmakers and are entitled to their own payments, said Scott Bickford, a lead lawyer for the children and their guardians. Bickford said more than 150,000 babies were born in opioid withdrawal from 2012 through 2016, and that the number grows each year. He said initial hospital stays for babies born to an opioid-addicted mother can cost $200,000 to $250,000 more than other infants born without complications. "Then you have to address their developmental and learning problems," Bickford said in a Tuesday interview. "A lot of them have organ problems. A lot of them have problems we don't even know about." Drug manufacturers and distributors oppose creating a new structure fo...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Patient Care News Source Type: news