The ongoing court case against opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson highlighted the role that doctors, and the medical boards who regulate them, have played in the continuing public health crisis. 

The first lawsuit in the country seeking to hold a pharmaceutical company responsible for the opioid crisis is currently awaiting a verdict in Oklahoma state court.

When states recover penalties in Medicaid fraud cases, it is common for them to reimburse federal agencies for their share. But Oklahoma doesn’t have the money.

The first case in a flood of civil litigation against opioid drug manufacturers is in its third week. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter’s suit alleges Johnson & Johnson, the nation’s largest drugmaker, helped ignite a public health crisis that has killed thousands of state residents.

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter’s suit alleges Johnson and Johnson and Teva pharmaceuticals helped ignite a public health crisis that has killed thousands of state residents.

Oklahoma has the second highest uninsured rate in the country and some of the poorest health outcomes.

The bill is endorsed by both the state’s optometric association and Walmart, who just a few months ago were on opposing sides of State Question 793, which voters ultimately defeated. Both sides spend millions of dollars on the campaign.

A perceived anti-abortion tilt of the U.S. Supreme Court has inspired state lawmakers to move to outlaw abortion entirely if Roe V. Wade ever falls. But the rush to regulate has exposed divisions among lawmakers who consider themselves staunch abortion opponents.

Oklahoma may soon see more money to help fight the AIDS epidemic.