New tactic introduced to battle opioid crisis but comes with complications

The opioid crisis that exploded at the end of 2015 is making headlines again as we close out the first month of 2016. During Charlie Baker’s State of the State address on Thursday, January 21^st, he noted that the opioid crises was “terrifying” and that four people die every day in Massachusetts due to opioid overdoses.  Many of these opioid addictions are linked to the overprescribing of the drug and lackadaisical manner of follow-up to prescription taking. Governor Baker pushed for a 72 hour prescription cap that would allow doctors to closely monitor the ingestion of the drug. Similarly, a new tactic for battling the epidemic has been made public; an implant used to fight the addiction of opioids.

One dead after Phase 1 drug trial in France

A phase 1 drug trial is under scrutiny after one person has died and 5 others are in critical condition following ingestion of the drug. The private laboratory in France, Biotrial, has been testing a pain and mood disorder medication for Bial a Portuguese pharmaceutical company. The drug was a FAAH inhibitor and was supposed to act on the body’s pain, enocannabinoid, system. It had been tested on chimpanzees and just moved to the human phase earlier this month.

A multitude of media outlets have been reporting on the incident and additional details are becoming available to the public.  There are now reports of French prosecutors launching a manslaughter investigation into the unusual case, which shined a spotlight on the practice of testing drugs on paid, healthy human volunteers.

A look at 2016 casualty insurance landscape

As we settle into the New Year, increased geopolitical instability and cyber-attacks are causing more organizations to prepare for and respond to internal and external threats. Even with these uncertainties, the casualty market has a stable outlook for 2016. Premiums are growing in line with the economy and the necessity of mandatory coverages, such as auto, home and commercial property, help strengthen the sector. With the stability, however, does come some challenges.