New York is cracking down on physicians overprescribing opioids to patients, and at least two physicians have been charged in overdose-related deaths this year.
George Blatti, MD, of Nassau County, N.Y., was charged March 4 with second-degree murder after his prescription habits allegedly led to five patient deaths. He was also charged with reckless endangerment in the first degree. Click here to read the full report.
On Feb. 18, a few weeks before Dr. Blatti's charges, the indictment for New York physician Sudipt Deshmukh, MD, was unsealed. Dr. Deshmukh is charged with manslaughter in the second degree after allegedly prescribing a lethal mix of opioids and other controlled substances to a patient who later died of an overdose.