Lev Facher

Indivior to stop marketing Opvee, controversial overdose-reversal medication Exclusive: Indivior is halting Opvee promotion after a New York settlement. Critics say the overdose drug is overpriced, risky, and no safer than widely used naloxone.

Major news in opioid crisis world: Indivior will no longer promote its controversial overdose-reversal medication Opvee, following lagging sales and outcry from harm reduction groups that it unnecessarily sent OD victims into agonizing withdrawal

www.statnews.com/2025/09/30/n...

Sara Carter, former Fox News journalist, defends qualifications to serve as ‘drug czar’ Sara Carter, formerly of Fox News, argues her firsthand reporting experience qualifies her for a leading role combating drug trafficking and the overdose crisis.

Sara Carter, formerly of Fox News, argues her firsthand reporting experience qualifies her for a leading role combating drug trafficking and the overdose crisis.
www.statnews.com/2025/09/17/s...

Inside the CDC director's ouster: Kennedy demanded acceptance of new vaccine policies; Susan Monarez refused Susan Monarez’s resistance to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s moves to assert control over vaccine guidance is at the center of her dismissal as CDC director

Inside RFK's stunning ouster of Susan Monarez as CDC director, via @danielpayne.bsky.social

As MAHA turns 1, a fired-up movement is still figuring out how to fulfill its promises "That is so brilliant. Why didn’t we think of this before?" As MAHA turns 1, STAT examines the growth of the movement and takes stock of its challenges.

MAHA turned 1 over the weekend, and it's hard to believe it's only been one year since Kennedy endorsed Trump and kickstarted this movement.

I talked with nearly two dozen people to try and make sense of all that has happened — or not. Lots to unpack!
www.statnews.com/2025/08/25/r...

FDA to stress opioids’ risk of overdose, death in new medication safety labels The FDA will soon require prescription opioid manufacturers to include stronger language on the medications’ labels warning of the risk of overdose and death.

The FDA is requiring opioid manufacturers to rewrite drug warning labels to stress the risks of long-term opioid use:

www.statnews.com/2025/08/01/f...

Inside the fall of Vinay Prasad at the FDA Prasad's departure followed a campaign by a right-wing activist and a controversy over a rare disease drug.

Incredible reporting from my @statnews.com colleague
@lizzylawrence.bsky.social on the ouster of Vinay Prasad from the FDA:

www.statnews.com/2025/07/30/v...

Trump nominee for top HHS post pushed to ban methadone treatment HHS general counsel nominee Mike Stuart’s position on methadone puts him far outside the mainstream in American politics.

Exclusive: Trump's nominee to serve as HHS general counsel has sponsored legislation that would ban methadone clinics outright.

Mike Stuart, a W.V. state lawmaker, has also advocated for banning syringe exchange.

(West Virginia's drug death rate is significantly higher than any other state)

Trump administration moves to ban concentrated 7-OH, kratom-related synthetic “We’re not targeting the kratom leaf or ground-up kratom,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary.

The FDA is recommending the DEA crack down on 7-OH, a psychoactive compound derived from the kratom plant. w/ @levfacher.bsky.social:
www.statnews.com/2025/07/29/7...

Trump targets supervised consumption of drugs and harm reduction in executive order President Trump is threatening to withhold funds from supervised drug consumption sites and potentially pursue criminal penalties against them.

New for @statnews.com: Trump's executive order takes direct aim at supervised consumption sites like OnPoint NYC and harm reduction more broadly

www.statnews.com/2025/07/25/t...

Ozempic for addiction: How an elite rehab center is using GLP-1s to 'obliterate' all kinds of cravings Pointing to Ozempic as a paradigm shift, an elite rehab center is experimenting with GLP-1s to tame many forms of addiction.

New: Inside the elite Pennsylvania rehab facility aggressively prescribing GLP-1s, normally used for weight loss, as medications to treat addiction

“I truly think these medications work because obesity is an addiction to food.”

www.statnews.com/2025/07/14/g...

Three big ideas to actually ‘Make America Healthy Again’ STAT reviewed dozens of studies, interviewed chronic disease experts, and landed on three focus areas for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to boost health.

Yesterday, we dove into all the data on chronic disease in the U.S. So, what can actually make a dent in it?

Here are 3 big ideas: www.statnews.com/2025/05/21/r...

Bluesky addiction medicine/recovery folks: Seeking perspectives from people who've used GLP-1s, either for weight management/diabetes or for addiction treatment itself, and have found the medications impacted their cravings, use patterns, etc. — please email me at lev.facher@statnews.com!

Drug overdose deaths fell sharply in 2024, as fentanyl cases dropped but meth spiked U.S. drug overdose deaths fell 27% in 2024, the lowest since 2019, with fentanyl cases sharply down but methamphetamine up, the CDC reports.

New: CDC data released today shows a 27% decrease in drug overdose deaths in 2024 compared to the year prior, as fentanyl deaths plummet but deaths involving stimulants like meth and cocaine increase

www.statnews.com/2025/05/14/d...

Trump nominates Casey Means, entrepreneurial doctor and MAHA leader, for surgeon general Means, a doctor, entrepreneur and MAHA influencer, is nominated to be next U.S. Surgeon General. Her brother is already advising Kennedy.

MAHA leader Casey Means is the new nominee to serve as U.S. Surgeon General, via @isabellacueto.bsky.social

www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/t...

Did Trump’s fentanyl seizures save 258 million lives? Gross exaggeration, experts say Attorney General Pam Bondi's claim that fentanyl seizures saved 258 million lives follows a long line of dubious claims from law enforcement officials.

New: Pam Bondi's exaggerated remarks on fentanyl interdiction in Trump's first 100 days "saving 258 million lives" are rooted in a long history of squishy law enforcement claims about drug busts

www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/p...

Sedative 'dex' is replacing 'tranq' in illegal drug supply and causing excruciating withdrawal Medetomidine, or dex, is emerging as a dangerous xylazine replacement in illicit fentanyl, complicating overdose response and posing severe withdrawal risks.

New: How medetomidine, a sedative commonly used in hospital and veterinary settings, is rapidly replacing xylazine in the drug supply — complicating overdose reversals and leaving users in excruciating, "life-threatening" withdrawal

www.statnews.com/2025/05/01/m...

Trump’s first 100 days, seen through 5 lives: Grants terminated. Dreams crushed. Futures in the balance STAT spoke with people living through the historic disruptions threatening the future of biomedical research in the U.S. These are their stories

President Trump's first 100 days of downsizing, dismantling, and derailing much of the American scientific enterprise — remarkable reporting from my STAT colleagues

www.statnews.com/2025/04/25/t...

RFK Jr. faces mixed reception, unruly crowd at major addiction conference Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke at a large meeting of addiction experts, encountering both cheers and repeated protests.

New from Nashville: RFK navigates protests, jeers at Rx Summit, where he stuck to his personal story and didn't stray into politics or any ongoing HHS controversy

www.statnews.com/2025/04/24/r...

Salvation Army faces class-action suit over denying addiction medications The Salvation Army runs recovery housing but disallows addiction medicines like buprenorphine. A class-action suit could expand treatment access.

New: A federal judge has given the go-ahead to a class-action lawsuit targeting the Salvation Army's policy of denying spots in its rehab facilities to people who take methadone or buprenorphine — potentially a landmark case for access to addiction medications

www.statnews.com/2025/04/16/a...

Laid off HHS leaders offered transfers to remote Indian Health Service regions Some HHS officials who received layoff notices were offered the chance to instead transfer to the Indian Health Service.

The Trump administration has been offering laid-off HHS leadership roles working for the Indian Health Service in Alaska, Montana, and Oklahoma, among other regions:

www.statnews.com/2025/04/01/h...

bit of a reach, sorry, this is a term used by administrations of both parties for many decades

Trump chooses Fox News contributor Sara Carter as next drug czar President Trump again turns to Fox News talent, nominating reporter Sara Carter as the next 'drug czar.'

Meet Sara Carter, a former Fox News contributor and conservative journalist with close ties to Tom Homan — she will soon serve as the nation's top drug policy official

www.statnews.com/2025/03/28/t...

Tara Schwetz, who oversaw creation of ARPA-H, placed on leave by NIH The NIH has placed deputy director Tara Schwetz on administrative leave, marking the third senior leader to depart the agency since the Trump administration took power roughly nine weeks ago.

Scoop: The NIH has placed Tara Schwetz, a deputy director and the official largely responsible for the creation of ARPA-H, on administrative leave — the third senior leader to depart the agency in ~2 months

www.statnews.com/2025/03/26/t...

Top addiction researcher Nora Volkow on NIH cuts, optimism and the limits of RFK Jr.’s 12-step experience In a Q&A, NIH addiction chief Nora Volkow speaks about RFK Jr.'s policy shake-ups, 12-step recovery limits, and why overdose deaths are falling.

NIDA Director Nora Volkow says of Trump changes to NIH policies:

“They have increased my blood pressure and heart rate."

Goes on to question RFK's views on 12-step recovery but gives credit to law enforcement's role in fentanyl interdiction, lower deaths

www.statnews.com/2025/03/13/n...

‘Deliberate trauma’: SAMHSA employees detail a federal agency in shambles Staff cuts at SAMSHA will imperil federal efforts to curb suicides and drug overdose deaths, employees say.

Excellent reporting on the chaos, staff reduction, and demoralization taking place across SAMHSA via @rosebroderick.bsky.social

www.statnews.com/2025/03/12/s...

Federal judge extends restraining order on Trump administration's cap on NIH indirect costs Judge Angel Kelley kept in place an order blocking the Trump administration from implementing a 15% cap on NIH indirect cost payments

#Breaking - Federal judge extends restraining order on Trump administration’s cap on NIH indirect costs

Looking to talk with federal employees with disabilities who were terminated this weekend, especially folks hired through Schedule A or disabled veterans. Please boost! #disability #journorequest

No, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren aren’t top recipients of pharmaceutical industry donations A quirk in the website OpenSecrets has given RFK Jr. a chance to misleadingly portray Sen. Bernie Sanders as receiving big money from big Pharma.

Despite MAHA/RFK claims, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are not among the top recipients of pharmaceutical industry campaign contributions (in fact, in the last decade they've received zero donations from pharma PACs/executives)

www.statnews.com/2025/02/03/b...

RFK Jr. endorses medications for opioid addiction at confirmation hearing, but misleads on 12-step programs During his Thursday Senate confirmation hearing, RFK Jr. shed light for the first time on his attitudes toward medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction.

STAT contacted two of the authors of the review that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared to cite as evidence 12-step recovery is more effective than methadone or buprenorphine.

Both said he fundamentally misconstrued its meaning

www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/r...

RFK Jr. endorses medications for opioid addiction at confirmation hearing, but misleads on 12-step programs During his Thursday Senate confirmation hearing, RFK Jr. shed light for the first time on his attitudes toward medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction.

RFK says he supports methadone and buprenorphine — but majorly misrepresents a study that he claimed shows 12-step programs are more effective vs. opioid addiction

(The study was exclusively about alcohol!)

www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/r...