Latest Drugs Headlines
All the headlines from our Drugs Topic Page, ordered by recency.
New York Insurers Required to Waive Cost-Sharing for Coronavirus Testing
Mar 3 2020 // The New York State Department of Financial Services is requiring New York health insurers to waive cost sharing associated with testing for novel coronavirus, including emergency room, urgent care and office visits. New...
Tennessee Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Appeal by Drug Makers in Opioid Suit
Feb 28 2020 // The Tennessee Supreme Court won’t hear an appeal from pharmaceutical companies asking to be dismissed as defendants in an opioid lawsuit. The suit was filed in Campbell County in 2017 by six Tennessee district...
Kentucky House Clears the Way for Legalizing Medical Marijuana
Feb 24 2020 // After years of setbacks, medical marijuana advocates cleared a historic hurdle Thursday when the Kentucky House voted to legalize the use of cannabis for medical purposes. The measure won House passage on a 65-30 vote...
Why Comparing Drug Prices Drops Costs for Employers and Patients
Feb 24 2020 // A University of California at Berkeley study has found that a “reference pricing model” — comparing brand name and generic medications and adjusting co-pays to encourage patients to choose the lowest cost...
How Pharmaceutical Firms Are Using Blockchain to Track Down Counterfeit Drugs
Feb 21 2020 // Some of the industry’s largest pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer Inc. and Eli Lilly and Co., have developed a blockchain-based system to track prescription drugs across the supply chain to better halt the...
How Comparing Drug Prices Lowers Costs for Employers and Patients
Feb 12 2020 // A University of California at Berkeley study has found that a “reference pricing model” — comparing brand name and generic medications and adjusting co-pays to encourage patients to choose the lowest cost...
Feds Halt North Carolina Pharmacy From Dispensing Opioids, Issue $600K Fine
Feb 7 2020 // A North Carolina pharmacy and its owner have to pay a $600,000 civil penalty and stop dispensing opioids or other controlled substances, federal prosecutors said. Farmville Discount Drug Inc., and its owner and...
Montana Sues Drug Distributors Over Opioid Shipments
Feb 5 2020 // Montana has filed a lawsuit against the two leading drug distributors in the state, saying they failed to monitor and report excessive opioid shipments to Montana pharmacies, worsening the opioid epidemic. Attorney General...
Oklahoma Bill Would Eliminate Third-Party Pharmacy Benefit Managers
Jan 29 2020 // If passed, proposed legislation would have Oklahoma joining the growing number of states backing away from using Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) to administer prescription-drug programs. Sen. Paul Scott, R-Duncan, has...
Blues Health Insurers Back Venture to Lower Generic Drug Prices
Jan 27 2020 // A group of Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers is investing $55 million in a venture that aims to offer cheaper prices to their members on generic drugs that currently have little or no competition, the companies said on...
Oklahoma’s Opioid Crisis
Jan 27 2020 // With nearly 5% of Oklahoma’s population ages 12 and older abusing or misusing painkillers, the state leads the nation in non-medical use of painkillers, according to the Attorney General’s Office. The...
California Considers Declaring Common Pain Killer Carcinogen
Jan 22 2020 // A fight is coming to California over whether to list one of the world’s most common over-the-counter drugs as a carcinogen, echoing recent high-profile battles over things like alcohol and coffee. The drug is...
Judge Cuts Johnson & Johnson Damages in Risperdal Case From $8 Billion to $6.8 Million
Jan 21 2020 // A Pennsylvania judge on Friday slashed to $6.8 million from $8 billion a punitive damages award against Johnson & Johnson to a man who said it failed to warn that boys using its antipsychotic drug Risperdal could grow...
Reuters Report: How Secrecy in Courts Stymies Safety Regulators
Jan 17 2020 // LEBANON, Ohio — Something wasn’t right with the Rhino. Reports started trickling in to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in 2005 of people being killed or injured in the Yamaha Motor Co. off-road...
Oklahoma AG Sues 3 Opioid Distributors
Jan 14 2020 // Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter on Jan. 13 brought a lawsuit against three distributors of opioids after winning a lawsuit against one drug manufacturer and reaching pretrial settlements in other cases. Hunter filed...
In Ohio Suit, Pharmacies Say Prescribers Bear Responsibility for Opioid Crisis
Jan 9 2020 // Doctors and other healthcare practitioners who write prescriptions bear ultimate responsibility for improper distribution of opioids to patients, not pharmacists who are obliged to fill those prescriptions, a series of...
Commentary: Are You Ready, Nevada? Nine New Laws for the New Year
Jan 3 2020 // Don’t let hindsight be 2020. While others are enjoying the holidays and a well-deserved break, Nevada businesses should “check their lists twice” to make sure they are compliant with a host of new laws...
America Is Still Waiting for Trump’s ‘Much Better’ Replacement for Obamacare
Jan 3 2020 // As a candidate for the White House, Donald Trump repeatedly promised that he would “immediately” replace President Barack Obama’s health care law with a plan of his own that would provide “insurance...
Drugmakers Begin New Year by Raising Prices
Jan 2 2020 // Drugmakers including Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Gilead Sciences Inc., and Biogen Inc. hiked U.S. list prices on more than 50 drugs on Wednesday, bringing total New Year’s Day drug price increases to more than 250,...
Puff, Puff, Passed: 2019 Marijuana Laws in Review and 2020 Projections
Dec 31 2019 // With 2019 nearly rolled up, it is time to exhale and recap the latest dose of marijuana laws affecting the workplace. In the last twelve months, Illinois became the eleventh state to legalize recreational marijuana use by...
