US officials charge 31 doctors over opioid prescribing

US authorities have charged dozens of medical professionals in seven states with illegally prescribing more than 32 million opioid pills, in the largest operation yet against doctors profiting from the US opioid epidemic.

The 60 people indicted include 31 doctors, eight nurse practitioners, seven other licensed medical professionals, and seven pharmacists in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Most of the other people charged are physicians’ office managers and other clinic staff.

The indictments are the work of the new Appalachian Region Opioid Strike Force and come only four months after the group began its work in the region. It includes prosecutors, data analysts who search …