Latest Drugs Headlines
All the headlines from our Drugs Topic Page, ordered by recency.
J&J, Bayer Deny Liability But Settle 25,000 Xarelto Lawsuits for $775 Million
Mar 26 2019 // Bayer AG and Johnson & Johnson have agreed to settle more than 25,000 U.S. lawsuits alleging that their blockbuster blood thinner Xarelto caused unstoppable and in some cases fatal bleeding for a total of $775 million,...
Kentucky Investigating Drug Overcharges by Pharmacy Benefit Managers
Mar 25 2019 // Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear said on Thursday he had launched an investigation into allegations that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) had overcharged state health insurance programs for drugs and discriminated...
Only Few Who Need Them Get Medicines for Opioid Addiction, Says Medical Group
Mar 22 2019 // Medicines proven to treat opioid addiction remain vastly underused in the U.S., the nation’s top medical advisers said Wednesday. Only a fraction of the estimated 2 million people addicted to opioids are getting the...
Study Examines Impact of California Workers’ Comp Formulary
Mar 20 2019 // Since California implemented its workers’ compensation formulary last year, an increasing share of drugs prescribed to injured workers are either “Exempt” from prospective utilization review or “Not...
Ohio Sues Pharmacy Benefit Manager over $16M in Alleged Drug Overcharges
Mar 20 2019 // Ohio is suing a company that managed prescription benefits for the state Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, seeking to recover nearly $16 million in alleged overcharges for the fund for injured workers. Attorney...
Oklahoma High Court Rejects Immediate Delay of Opioid Trial, Sets Hearing Date
Mar 15 2019 // The Oklahoma Supreme Court has rejected a request by drugmakers to immediately postpone the start of what is expected to be the first state trial in lawsuits accusing the companies of fueling an opioid epidemic. The court...
Washington Will be Joining Other States in Suing Major Opioid Shippers
Mar 14 2019 // Washington is the latest state to sue major distributors of opioids, saying the companies made billions of dollars while ignoring signs of a growing crisis fueled by addiction to the drugs. Attorney General Bob Ferguson...
Insurers Remain Cautious About Marijuana Insurance Market
Mar 14 2019 // The marijuana industry is an opportunity for insurers as more states have legalized the drug. But there are still risks in play that could limit wider carrier participation, A.M. Best said in a new report. One of the key...
Report: Ohio Sees Drop in Opioid Prescribing
Mar 13 2019 // The state’s prescription reporting system shows the number of prescription opioids dispensed to Ohioans declined for the sixth consecutive year in 2018. A recently released annual report from the State of Ohio Board...
Startup CEO Exonerated from Crimes, Seeks Compensation for Firing
Mar 13 2019 // Zain Jaffer’s charmed, Silicon Valley life was about to collapse beneath him. It was October 2017 and Jaffer, founder of a promising mobile ad startup, was suddenly arrested and charged with a series of crimes,...
Georgia House Passes Bill Expanding Access to Medical Marijuana
Mar 8 2019 // The production and sale of low-potency medical marijuana oil could soon be allowed in Georgia under a bill passed Tuesday by the House. Lawmakers voted 123-40 to clear the measure, two days ahead of a legislative deadline...
Drug Companies Seek Delay in Oklahoma Opioid Trial
Mar 7 2019 // Pharmaceutical companies have asked for a 100-day postponement of an Oklahoma trial accusing them of fraudulently marketing drugs that have fueled the nation’s opioid crisis. Several states have filed lawsuits...
Jurors Told How Insys Chief Used Competitors’ Data to Drive Own Opioid Sales
Mar 7 2019 // Insys Therapeutics Inc. founder John Kapoor didn’t cut corners when it came to collecting intelligence on opioid sales, using the data to beat down his employees and to spur doctors to prescribe more of his highly...
San Antonio Area Drug Company Sales Rep Pleads Guilty in $8M Fraud Scheme
Mar 5 2019 // A former pharmaceutical representative has pleaded guilty in Texas to a role in an $8 million health care fraud scheme that netted her over $1 million, according to U.S. Attorney John Bash and FBI Special Agent in Charge...
With Opioid Litigation Mounting, Purdue Pharma Exploring Bankruptcy: Reuters
Mar 4 2019 // OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP is exploring filing for bankruptcy to address potentially significant liabilities from thousands of lawsuits alleging the drug manufacturer contributed to the deadly opioid crisis sweeping...
NSAIDs Overtake Opioids as Top Workers’ Comp Drug in California
Mar 4 2019 // Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, or NSAIDs, have supplanted opioids as the most common therapeutic drug group prescribed to injured workers in California, according to a new California Workers’ Compensation...
Lawmakers Cite Own Experiences in Grilling Drug Executives on Prices
Mar 1 2019 // Channeling the ire of constituents and drawing from personal experience, senators chastised drug company executives Tuesday over the high cost of prescription medications, while the CEOs warned that government price...
How High-Pressure Insys Prescription Call Center Lied to Insurers to Sell Opioids
Feb 26 2019 // The goal for Insys Therapeutics Inc.’s call center in Phoenix was simple: persuade insurers to authorize at least 70 prescriptions a week of its expensive opioid spray. Workers would get bonuses for surpassing the...
North Dakota House OKs Medical Marijuana Law Changes
Feb 20 2019 // The North Dakota House approved legislation that would expand the list of medical conditions for which residents can use medical marijuana, add health care professionals who can certify patients for the drug and increase...
NSAIDs Overtake Opioids as Top Workers’ Comp Drug in California
Feb 15 2019 // Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, or NSAIDs, have supplanted opioids as the most common therapeutic drug group prescribed to injured workers in California, according to a new California Workers’ Compensation...
