Anesthesia

OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma will stop marketing opioid drugs to physicians, bowing to lawsuits that blame the company's sales efforts for helping trigger the current opioid epidemic, the Chicago Tribune reports.

San Antonio-based Methodist Hospital added Cris Johnson, MD, to its palliative care team.

The FDA released a statement warning that the popular herbal supplement kratom has opioid properties and is not a safe alternative to prescription opioids.

Atlanta-based Orthopedic and Back Pain Centers of America added Glenview-based Illinois Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics Centers to its network.

In an attempt to prevent opioid overprescribing, the FDA released a revised blueprint for opioid prescriber education. The blueprint contains core content for training that drug manufacturers must make available to prescribers.

A study, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, examined factors related to nurse-administered propofol sedation in 9,152 endoscopic cases at ASCs.

Norfolk, Neb.-based Faith Regional Medical Center named Brent Premer, MD, its 2017 Physician of the Year, News Channel Nebraska reports.

Studio City, Calif.-based Steven Zlatt, MD, joined Doctors on Liens. Dr. Zlatt is board certified in pain management and anesthesiology.

Anesthesiologist Jeffrey Constantine joined the staff of West Plains, Mo.-based Ozarks Medical Center, Ozarks Radio News reports.

Srinivas Bollimpalli, MD, will be Envision Physician Services' vice president of pain management.