Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Warns Opioid Prescribers Whose Patients Died

As part of its efforts to contain the opioid epidemic, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts issued warnings to opioid prescribers whose patients died of overdoses.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling announced his office sent the letters to prescribers to inform them that patients to whom they had prescribed opioids had later died from overdoses.

Lelling said the letters do not represent a determination that recipients violated any laws; they are intended to remind prescribers that they’re prohibited from prescribing medically unnecessary or excessive opioids and, are also barred from prescribing them outside the course of professional practice.