Latest Drugs Headlines

All the headlines from our Drugs Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Ending Major Threat of Drug-Resistant Deadly Superbugs for $2 Per Person

Nov 8 2018 // Halting the rise of deadly drug-resistant “superbug” infections that kill millions around the world could cost just $2 per person a year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said on...

Opioid Prescriptions Drop 32% in Wisconsin over Last 3 Years

Nov 1 2018 // A new state report shows doctors have been prescribing fewer opioids over the last three years.The report from the state Controlled Substances Board shows opioid prescriptions have decreased 32 percent over the last three...

U.S. Making Some Progress Against Opioid Epidemic, Says Health Chief

Oct 25 2018 // The number of U.S. drug overdose deaths has begun to level off after years of relentless increases driven by the opioid epidemic, health secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday, cautioning it’s too soon to declare...

Opioid Memorial in Houston as Part of Nationwide Tour

Oct 23 2018 // The National Safety Council on Monday made Houston the sixth stop on a nationwide tour of its exhibit, Prescribed to Death: A Memorial to the Victims of the Opioid Crisis, by unveiling the display inside the George R....

New York Is Considering Blocking Parts of $68B CVS, Aetna Merger

Oct 19 2018 // New York state officials are considering blocking parts of the $68 billion merger of drugstore store chain CVS Health Corp. and Aetna Inc., jeopardizing billions of dollars in insurance premiums for Aetna.CVS and Aetna won...

NTSB: Texas Driver’s Drug Use Led to Deadly Church Bus Crash

Oct 19 2018 // A motorist’s use of marijuana and a sedative led to a collision with a church bus that killed 13 people on the bus, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a report released on Oct. 16.According to the...

New Hampshire Insurance Company Trains Workers on Overdose Reversal Drug

Oct 18 2018 // Employees at one of New Hampshire’s community mental health centers are getting trained to administer overdose reversal drugs. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care on Friday held a training session for employees at Riverbend...

National Safety Board Calls for Standards for Drugged Driving Tests

Oct 18 2018 // U.S. transportation safety officials are sounding the alarm on drug-impaired driving, calling for state and federal regulators to do more to tackle the growing problem as states grapple with prescription drug abuse and...

Drug Ads on TV Would Show Prices Under Trump Administration Proposal

Oct 16 2018 // The U.S. government, in an effort to increase pressure on drugmakers to lower costs for U.S. consumers, said on Monday it will propose requiring companies to include the price of their prescription medicines in television...

Tennessee Drug Overdose Deaths Rise Again in 2017

Oct 15 2018 // The number of Tennessee residents who died of drug overdoses has risen more than 8 percent, setting another record in 2017. The state Health Department said 1,776 Tennesseans died from overdoses last year, the most since...

U.S. Clears Way for CVS Acquisition of Aetna That Promises Consumer Cost Savings

Oct 11 2018 // Pharmacy chain CVS Health Corp. won U.S. antitrust approval for its $69 billion acquisition of health insurer Aetna Inc., the Justice Department said on Wednesday, paving the way for a combination with potential to cut...

Marijuana Legalization Advocates Seek Foothold in Midwest States

Oct 10 2018 // Backers of broad marijuana legalization are looking to break through a geographic barrier in November and get their first foothold in the Midwest after a string of election victories in Northeastern and Western...

Liability Test Case Against Opioid Makers Allowed to Move Forward

Oct 8 2018 // A lawsuit seeking to hold drugmakers and distributors responsible for a nationwide opioid epidemic should be allowed to move forward, a federal magistrate said in a preliminary ruling that may increase the likelihood of a...

New York DFS Issues Final Reg Requiring Insurers to Include Formulary Exception

Oct 1 2018 // The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) is taking new actions to address the opioid crisis in New York State.DFS issued a final regulation requiring insurers to include a formulary exception process for...

Fatal Drug Overdoses in Ohio Increase to Record Number

Sep 26 2018 // Fatal drug overdoses increased to a record 4,854 last year in Ohio, a 20 percent rise compared with the previous year, according to information reported to the state.Data on unintentional drug deaths provided to the Ohio...

Workers Overdose On the Job and Employers Struggle to Respond

Sep 26 2018 // PORTLAND, Ore. — Jimmy Sullivan prepared for his job as a bricklayer the same way every morning for years: injecting a shot of heroin before leaving his car.The first time he overdosed on the job, in 2013 at a Virginia...

Tennessee Drug Overdose Deaths Rise Again in 2017

Sep 26 2018 // The number of Tennessee residents who died of drug overdoses has risen more than 8 percent, setting another record in 2017. The state Health Department said 1,776 Tennesseans died from overdoses last year, the most since...

Cigna Says Express Scripts Acquisition Passes Antitrust Review

Sep 17 2018 // Health insurer Cigna Corp.’s $52 billion acquisition of pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts Holding Co. has passed U.S. antitrust scrutiny, the companies said on Monday, allowing them to proceed with a...

Oregon Sues OxyContin Manufacturer Claiming it Minimized Risks

Sep 17 2018 // Oregon’s attorney general has sued the pharmaceutical company that makes OxyContin, saying it misrepresented the risks and benefits of the drug and lied to a state regulatory agency to maximize profits.A spokesman at...

Purdue Includes Free Opioid Treatment Drugs in Settlement Offer

Sep 14 2018 // The company that created OxyContin is offering free doses of an opioid-abuse treatment as part of its offer to resolve more than 1,000 lawsuits accusing the drugmaker of helping fuel the opioid crisis, according to people...