‘As long as they’re making millions, they don’t care’ | Morning Newsletter
The story of an ‘exceptionally powerful opioid.’
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The Morning Newsletter
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Today’s gonna be one of the coldest days we’ve had in a little while. A bit of snow might even be possible.
In today’s newsletter:
💰 How bankrupt Pennsylvania drug firm Endo could earn $265 million on an “exceptionally powerful opioid” it removed twice from market.
🎒 And we went inside Mastbaum High, a refuge for Philly kids at the epicenter of the opioid epidemic.
🍺 Mike Klein writes about the impending closing of Memphis Taproom, the pioneering Kensington pub.
If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.
— Ashley Hoffman (@_AshleyHoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
🎤 And now I’m handing the microphone over to Bob Fernandez:
DEA agents and Scott County police had been on the hunt for the source of thousands of Opana pills in the farming communities and small towns of southern Indiana, where drug users were dissolving the prescription medication and shooting up the opioid, spreading HIV for more than a year.
“They would share the needles in a big group,” said Patti Hall, a county preparedness coordinator for health or weather disasters. “It was a nightmare.”
The health impact in a county with a population of 25,000 was catastrophic: 88% of the patients infected with HIV injected Opana ER or a generic with oxymorphone — a highly profitable opioid with a trail of misery formed over decades by the Malvern drug firm Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. Opana ER, the most sought Endo pill, was the “cornerstone” of the company’s pain-management business, the government says. Keep reading for more on this drug firm.
What you should know today
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will play in Sunday’s game against the Giants, sources say.
Another humpback whale washes onto an Atlantic City beach.
Preliminary findings indicate an explosion in Port Richmond was not the result of a leaking natural gas main. What you need to know about natural gas safety and PGW in Philly.
We talked to a Drexel doctor dedicated to protecting the mental health of student-athletes.
Local coronavirus numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
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❓Pop Quiz❓
What did Stuart Weitzman sell for a reported $32 million?
A) A collection of contemporary art
B) Double Eagle gold piece, a unique stamp, and a block of four stamps
C) A pair of wedding slippers from 1838
D) Open-toe mules from the mid-1950s made of crystals, leather, and elastic “Spring-O-Lator”
Find out if you remember the answer.
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
BJORN DYAN HENS
The bi-level Fishtown rock venue that started at the peak of indie rock.
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Email us if you know the answer.
Photo of the Day
🎶 For today’s Sunday track, we’re listening to “tous les garçons et les filles de mon âge se promènent par les rues deux par deux.”🎶
👋🏽 Last night, I saw Candlelight: Rock Classics on Strings featuring Grounded Aerial.