Latest Drugs Headlines
All the headlines from our Drugs Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Missouri Becomes 3rd State to Sue Opioid Manufacturers
Jun 23 2017 // Missouri on June 21 became the third U.S. state to accuse major drug manufacturers of fraudulently misrepresenting the risks of opioid painkillers now at the center of a national addiction epidemic. Missouri Attorney...
Weed Warning: Legalizing Marijuana Tied to Rise in Crashes in 3 States by HLDI
Jun 23 2017 // Legalizing recreational marijuana use in Colorado, Oregon and Washington has resulted in collision claim frequencies that are about three percent higher overall than would have been expected without legalization, a new...
North Carolina Senate Passes Legislation to Reduce Opioid Abuse
Jun 23 2017 // Legislation aimed at reducing opioid abuse and overdoses has passed the North Carolina Senate with unanimous bipartisan support. The measure approved Wednesday changes how drugs such as OxyContin and morphine are...
Mississippi Drug Overdose Deaths Reach Record High
Jun 21 2017 // Drug overdose deaths have reached a record high in Mississippi. The Clarion-Ledger reported that the at least 211 deaths in 2016 were the most in Mississippi’s history. Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics director John...
3 Tennessee Prosecutors Join Forces in Suit Against Opioid Drug Makers
Jun 19 2017 // A new lawsuit invokes the plight of a baby born dependent on opioid drugs, as three Tennessee prosecutors and the baby’s guardian accuse several drug manufacturers of unleashing an epidemic through deceptive...
Texas Seeks Input on Draft Compound Drug Rule Amendments
Jun 19 2017 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) is now accepting comments on informal draft compound drug rule amendments. An informal draft of amendments to 28 Texas Administrative Code...
Growing Number of Municipal Suits Over Opioids Face Uphill Battle
Jun 19 2017 // A growing number of U.S. states, counties and cities are filing lawsuits accusing drug companies of deceptively marketing opioid painkillers to downplay their addictiveness. But some lawyers say the industry’s highly...
Louisiana Tightens Rules to Prevent ‘Doctor Shopping’ for Opioid Drugs
Jun 19 2017 // Louisiana lawmakers have ordered physicians to consult a statewide prescription monitoring program before prescribing opioid drugs. The Senate approved minor changes the House had made to Sen. Fred Mills’ bill and...
Cardinal Health Seeks Dismissal of Drug Suits in 6 West Virginia Counties
Jun 16 2017 // A pharmaceuticals distributor has asked a federal judge to dismiss lawsuits filed by six West Virginia counties over the opioid crisis, arguing that they were filed too late and the matter was already addressed in a state...
Bills Meant to Curb Opioid Abuse in Louisiana Signed by Governor
Jun 14 2017 // Obtaining prescriptions for highly addictive opioid drugs in Louisiana will soon be more difficult under bills signed into law on June 12 by Gov. John Bel Edwards, who is hoping to turn the state into a leader in battling...
States Study Tobacco Lawsuit Tactics for Fight Over Opioid Costs
Jun 14 2017 // State and local leaders fighting a worsening opioid abuse epidemic are studying tactics used in the tobacco lawsuits of the 1990s, as they try to claw back billions from the companies who make and sell the powerful...
Companies Seek Dismissal of Oklahoma Tribe’s Prescription-Drug Suit
Jun 12 2017 // Walmart and other major corporations are asking a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit filed against them by the Cherokee Nation, which argues that the companies have not done enough to stop prescription opioid abuse. The...
FDA Seeks to Halt Sales of Opioid Painkiller Opana ER for Public Health Reasons
Jun 9 2017 // As the United States battles a growing opioid abuse crisis, the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday asked Endo International Plc to withdraw from the market its long-lasting opioid painkiller, Opana ER, sending...
Louisiana Adds Hurdles to Prevent ‘Doctor Shopping’ for Opioid Drugs
Jun 5 2017 // Hoping to stop people from “doctor shopping” for highly addictive painkillers, Louisiana lawmakers have ordered physicians to consult a statewide prescription monitoring program before prescribing opioid...
U.S. Appeals Court Upholds Dismissal of Zoloft Lawsuits Against Pfizer
Jun 5 2017 // The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia upheld a lower court’s dismissal last year of more than 300 product liability suits against drug maker Pfizer over its antidepressant Zoloft. The lawsuits...
Texas Workers’ Comp Research Group to Complete Report Card, Study Compound Drugs
Jun 5 2017 // The Texas Workers’ Compensation Research and Evaluation Group has released its 2017 research agenda, a blueprint for its efforts to provide critical data for decision-makers in the Texas workers’ compensation...
Growing Number of Municipal Suits Over Opioids Face Uphill Battle
Jun 2 2017 // A growing number of U.S. states, counties and cities are filing lawsuits accusing drug companies of deceptively marketing opioid painkillers to downplay their addictiveness, but some lawyers say the industry’s highly...
Bill Creating Workers’ Comp Drug Formulary Advances in Louisiana
Jun 1 2017 // A bill establishing a workers’ compensation closed drug formulary in Louisiana passed the House and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations. A legislative analysis of House Bill...
Ohio AG DeWine Sues 5 Drug Companies Over Opioid Crisis
May 31 2017 // The state of Ohio on May 30 sued five major drug manufacturers, accusing them of misrepresenting the risks of prescription opioid painkillers that have fueled a sky-rocketing drug addiction epidemic. The suit, filed by...
Motorist Deaths by South Carolina Police Trigger Costly Settlements
May 31 2017 // Police forces in South Carolina have reached several high-dollar settlements in cases where officers have shot and killed drivers and others in moving vehicles in the past several years. Here are some of the most expensive...
