Latest Drugs Headlines
All the headlines from our Drugs Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Charges New York Drug Firm Executives with Opioid Distribution Conspiracy
Apr 24 2019 // Federal prosecutors unveiled the first criminal charges against pharmaceutical executives for illegally diverting opioids, accusing the former chief executive officer and the head of compliance at a major U.S. drug...
Cops Draw Blood to Catch Impaired Drivers
Apr 23 2019 // It was about 6:30 on a Friday night in January when Phoenix Police Det. Kemp Layden pulled over a white Jeep Cherokee that was speeding and weaving in and out of its lane. The 47-year-old driver spoke slowly, his eyes were...
Wisconsinites Push for Safeguards in Prescription Drug Step Therapy Process
Apr 22 2019 // People struggling with chronic diseases joined doctors and other advocates in making the case on April 17 for a bipartisan proposal in the Wisconsin Legislature designed to make it easier for patients to get needed...
Oklahoma Prescription Drug ‘Step Therapy’ Bill Signed Into Law
Apr 18 2019 // A bill intended to protect patients from a harmful insurance practice known as ‘step therapy’ has been signed into law by Governor Kevin Stitt. Senate Bill 509, authored by Rep. Cyndi Munson (D-OKC) and Sen....
Supreme Court Denies Drug Maker’s Use of Native American Tribe to Shield Patents
Apr 16 2019 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday cast aside pharmaceutical company Allergan Plc’s unorthodox bid to shield patents from a federal administrative court’s review by transferring them to a Native American...
New York City May Ban Pre-Hire Marijuana Tests for Many Job Applicants
Apr 15 2019 // Many job-seekers would no longer face tests for marijuana use under legislation that New York City is likely to enact, taking a novel step as lawmakers and employers around the U.S. grapple with workplace policies about...
Virginia Prosecutors Charge Anti-Opioid Addiction Drug Maker with Fraud
Apr 12 2019 // Federal prosecutors say the company that makes a drug meant to curb opioid addiction has been lying for years about the relative safety of its product. Prosecutors in Virginia filed fraud charges Tuesday against...
States, Congress Questioning Pharmacy Benefit Managers’ Role in Drug Prices
Apr 11 2019 // Several states are probing pharmacy-benefit managers’ business practices in government-sponsored health programs, adding to the scrutiny the middlemen face in Washington for their role in the cost of drugs. At least...
Senators Seek Probe of Pharmacy Benefit Managers’ Pricing Practice
Apr 9 2019 // Two U.S. senators have asked the inspector general of the Health and Human Services Department to investigate a practice by pharmacy-benefit managers known as spread pricing, as part of a wider inquiry by lawmakers into...
How to Keep Big Pharma from Winning Drug Price Wars: Joe Nocera
Apr 9 2019 // Robin Feldman is a law professor at the University of California Hastings with a particular expertise in antitrust and patent issues. She is also one of those professors who are unusually good at explaining complex issues...
Doctor, Early Advocate for Opioids, to Testify Against Drug Makers: Reuters
Apr 8 2019 // A physician ally of Purdue Pharma LP whose views helped drive the explosive growth in the use of addictive pain relievers for common aches and pains in the United States has agreed to testify against the OxyContin maker...
Arkansas Judge Refuses to Dismiss Claims Against Opioid Drug Makers
Apr 7 2019 // An Arkansas judge has rejected a request to dismiss the state’s lawsuit against three drugmakers that alleges they made false marketing claims about the benefits and risks of opioids, contributing to an increase in...
Opioid Trial Winds Down; Insys Execs Deny Bribing Doctors, Duping Insurers
Apr 5 2019 // A U.S. prosecutor portrayed Insys Therapeutics Inc. founder John Kapoor and other former executives as greedy and heartless during closing arguments in their racketeering trial over the promotion of the opioid painkiller...
Oklahoma Alters Suit Against Opioid Drugmakers Before Trial
Apr 5 2019 // The state of Oklahoma narrowed its case against drug makers including Johnson & Johnson, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Allergan Plc, dropping fraud and other allegations while pressing ahead with a...
Florida Gov to Form Opioid Task Force
Apr 4 2019 // Florida’s Office of Drug Control will be re-established in the governor’s office and a state task force on drug abuse will be set up to provide a unified vision for battling the state’s opioid epidemic,...
Insurers Cautious About Marijuana Insurance Market
Apr 1 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, “Cannabis:...
Vermont Sues Two Prescription Opioid Distributors
Mar 29 2019 // Vermont filed a lawsuit against two pharmaceutical distributors, accusing them of selling ever-increasing amounts of prescription opioids in the state while failing to effectively monitor and control the sales and...
Purdue Pharma Owners Sued by New York Over Opioid Addiction Epidemic
Mar 29 2019 // The billionaire owners of Purdue Pharma LP were sued by New York state for allegedly triggering a U.S. addiction epidemic with their marketing of the Oxycontin painkiller, just two days after the company agreed to pay $270...
FDA Vows Tougher Testing as More Manufacturers Outsource
Mar 27 2019 // U.S. regulators plan to revamp rules governing how medicines are manufactured, in an effort to ensure the safety of the nation’s drug supply as recalls of contaminated imports from developing countries...
Trump Eyes Bipartisan Deals on Infrastructure and Drug Prices
Mar 26 2019 // U.S. President Donald Trump is willing to work with congressional Democrats to lower drug prices for Americans and on infrastructure funding, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said on Tuesday. Conway said the Trump...
