Latest Drugs Headlines
All the headlines from our Drugs Topic Page, ordered by recency.
What Drug Companies Have Paid to Settle Claims Over U.S. Opioid Crisis
Jul 22 2021 // State attorneys general on Wednesday unveiled a $26 billion settlement with the three largest U.S. drug distributors and Johnson & Johnson to resolve thousands of lawsuits by states and local governments over the...
States, Municipalities Have 30 Days to Weigh $26B Opioid Deal with Major Drug Firms
Jul 22 2021 // A group of state attorneys general unveiled on Wednesday a landmark $26 billion settlement with large drug companies for allegedly fueling the deadly nationwide opioid epidemic, but the deal still requires support from...
Oklahoma Lawmakers Urge Interim Study on Opioid Prescriptions
Jul 21 2021 // Three Oklahoma state representatives have requested an interim study to investigate clinical outcomes of patients with pain following policies resulting in rapid reductions in opioid prescribing. Rep. John Talley,...
States Expected to Announce Opioid Deal With Drug Distributors, J&J: Reuters
Jul 20 2021 // U.S. state attorneys general and lawyers for local governments are expected on Wednesday to unveil a landmark, $26 billion settlement resolving claims that the three largest U.S. drug distributors and drugmaker Johnson...
Drug Overdose Deaths Hit Record 93,000 During 2020 Pandemic
Jul 16 2021 // Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government reported Wednesday. That estimate far eclipses the high of about 72,000 drug overdose deaths reached the...
Missouri Lawsuit: Former Sheriff Stole Drugs, Assaulted Plaintiff
Jul 9 2021 // A woman has alleged in a civil rights lawsuit that a former northwest Missouri sheriff gave her drugs and sexually assaulted her. The St. Joseph News-Press reported that the claims involve former Harrison County Sheriff...
West Virginia Pharmacies Owner Fined In Prescription Probe
Jul 1 2021 // The owner of two West Virginia pharmacies has agreed to pay $300,000 in civil penalties to settle allegations that they filled illegitimate prescriptions in violation of federal law. Federal prosecutors said Beckley...
Ruling Limits Safety-Based Drug Testing at Iowa Warehouses
Jun 30 2021 // The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that employers cannot subject all warehouse employees to random drug testing by designating them as having “safety sensitive” jobs. In its 4-3 ruling, the court ruled that...
Drug Industry Faces First High-Stakes Opioid Jury Trial
Jun 29 2021 // Jurors on New York’s Long Island are set to determine whether a group of opioid makers and drug distributors created a public health crisis and should pay for it, in a bellwether trial for lawsuits filed by...
High Court Ruling Limits Safety-Based Drug Testing at Iowa Warehouses
Jun 27 2021 // The Iowa Supreme Court ruled on June 25 that employers cannot subject all warehouse employees to random drug testing by designating them as having “safety sensitive” jobs. In its 4-3 ruling, the court ruled...
U.S. Drug Enforcer Testimony Cites ‘Systemic Failure’ in Monitoring by Opioid Distributors
Jun 11 2021 // A retired high-ranking official with the Drug Enforcement Administration has testified that three large opioid distributors had a “systematic failure” in monitoring suspicious pill orders. Joe Rannazzisi,...
Amazon.com Offers Prescriptions Starting at $6; Considers Physical Locations
Jun 9 2021 // Amazon.com Inc. said on Tuesday it was now offering six-month prescriptions starting at $6 for medications of common health issues through its pharmacy. The company said prime members would get additional savings when...
2 Arkansas Docs Sentenced to Federal Prison for Prescription Fraud
Jun 8 2021 // Two Arkansas physicians were sentenced in late May to a combined 150 months in federal prison for distributing pain medicines without a prescription. Cecil. W. Gaby, 71, of Fort Smith, and Robin Ann Cox, 64, of Rogers,...
$6.4 Billion Suit Claims Bristol-Myers Delayed Cancer Drug to Avoid Shareholder Payment
Jun 4 2021 // Bristol Myers Squibb Co. was sued for $6.4 billion on Thursday for allegedly delaying its Breyanzi cancer drug to avoid payments to shareholders of the former Celgene Corp., which the drugmaker bought in 2019. According to...
Biden Backs States Against Manufacturers Over Prescription Drug Imports From Canada
Jun 1 2021 // The Biden administration is urging a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit that could stand in the way of states like Florida in allowing prescription drugs to be imported from Canada. In a legal brief filed Friday, the White...
Study Shows How Recreational Cannabis Legalization May Change Illegal Drug Markets
May 20 2021 // A study published in the scientific journal Addiction provides evidence of the association between recreational cannabis laws in U.S. states and responses in the illegal markets for cannabis, heroin and other drugs. The...
Data Expert: Distributors Increased Drug Potency in West Virginia
May 14 2021 // A data expert testifying at a landmark opioid trial in West Virginia said Tuesday that the potency of prescription drugs sent to local communities increased over time, but the three large drug distributors being sued tried...
If Covid-19 Vaccine Patents Are Waived, Legal Options For Drug Firms Are Limited
May 7 2021 // A potential World Trade Organization waiver of patent and trade secret protections for Covid-19 vaccines would leave pharmaceutical companies with limited legal avenues to recover costs. The U.S. on Wednesday expressed...
Mental Health Drug Prescriptions on the Rise
Apr 22 2021 // The number of Americans taking mental health prescription medication is up 6.4% in the last year, which means that 65 million people (1 in 5) are now prescribed medication to help them cope with stress, anxiety or...
Viewpoint: Psychedelic Drugs to Treat Pain in Workers’ Compensation Cases?
Apr 6 2021 // Medical science has moved forward by leaps and bounds in recent years, and yet for too many injured workers, their initial work-related injury and subsequent medical treatment is only the start of an all-too-familiar...
