Martha Bebinger

Overdose deaths involving fentanyl are rising — up 113 percent on average each year from 2013 to 2016. Dealers are adding cheap fentanyl to the illicit drug supply, and some users get it accidentally.

The Massachusetts attorney general alleges that the family behind Purdue Pharma knew that OxyContin was causing overdoses, yet continued to cash in. New documents in the case were released Thursday.

In a detailed memorandum, Attorney General Maura Healey alleges eight Sackler family members and nine Purdue board members or executives played key roles in the nation's deadly opioid epidemic.

The U.S. surgeon general has called on "bystanders" to be equipped with the opioid reversal drug to save lives. But when a nurse answered that call, her application for life insurance was denied. Why?

The overdose antidote naloxone could soon be available in more public places. The Veterans Administration is adding it to its automated defibrillator cabinets. Other institutions are following suit.

Massachusetts planned to exclude expensive drugs that weren't proven to work better than existing alternatives from its Medicaid plan. Medicaid drug spending had doubled in five years.

One big question in Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Judge Brett Kavanaugh is how he would rule on a challenge to Roe v. Wade. A rejection could give states first say in abortion regulation.

Families are starting to adopt an approach that stresses compassion instead of harsh consequences for loved ones with addiction. Their goal? Keep them alive long enough to recover.

The Trump administration says its plan to overhaul the way Medicare pays doctors will save physicians time and paperwork. But critics worry the changes will hurt patients' care and doctors' income.

An overdose is a wake-up call for many people with addiction. So why aren't patients being offered medications that could keep them from looking for the next dangerous hit of drugs?