Latest Drugs Headlines

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

Drug Firms Sue Illegal Web Sites for Opioid Crisis

Jul 20 2018 // Two pharmaceutical companies say the real culprits in the opioids epidemic are illegal dealers of the painkillers and want them to be on the hook financially for any damages potentially assessed against drugmakers.Endo...

7th Lawsuit Against Opioid Makers Filed by Kentucky AG

Jul 20 2018 // The company’s website claimed its product would “enable patients to stay in the workplace, enjoy interaction with family and friends and remain a member of society.”But Kentucky’s Attorney General...

FDA Cites Drug Warning Scam Over Online Medications

Jul 17 2018 // People who tried to order medicine online or over the phone have received fake U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning letters instead of the products they bought, in what appears to be an international extortion scam,...

Report from New York Health Officials Calls for Pot Legalization

Jul 16 2018 // Proposals to permit recreational marijuana use in New York state took a big step forward Friday when state health officials issued a long-awaited report concluding that the benefits of legalization outweigh the risks.The...

Canadian Health Insurers Reluctant to Provide Cover for Medical Marijuana

Jul 13 2018 // Sun Life Financial, Canada’s No. 2 insurer, recently started covering medical marijuana in its Canadian health insurance plan – more than 17 years after the country first legalized it.The coverage, which requires...

Amazon Plans Global Disruption of Health Care Marketplace

Jul 11 2018 // Amazon.com Inc. has global aspirations for its medical-supplies marketplace, according to a job listing posted on its website, highlighting the e-commerce giant’s sweeping ambitions to disrupt health care by selling...

How Opioids are Impacting the Kentucky Workforce

Jul 3 2018 // The pickings have gotten slimmer when Mike Bowling needs to hire someone for his convenience stores in London and Manchester, where he also has a tobacco store.“This is the hardest I’ve ever seen getting...

Supreme Court to Review Merck Drug Warning Liability Case

Jul 2 2018 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear Merck & Co.’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling that revived hundreds of lawsuits accusing the company of failing to adequately warn patients of the risks of...

Louisiana Legislation Targets Pharmacy Benefit Managers; Drug Cost ‘Gag Rules’ Banned

Jul 2 2018 // Louisiana patients could soon get more details about what happens at the pharmacy counter and whether they’ve gotten the most affordable medication for an ailment.In the regular legislative session, lawmakers passed...

Maine Employers Are Not Required to Reimburse Employees for Medical Marijuana Use

Jul 2 2018 // The Maine Supreme Court has ruled that employers in the state are not required to reimburse employees for their use of medical marijuana under the Maine workers’ compensation system because federal law preempts state...

Chinese Tech Firms Seek to Shake Up State-Run Health Sector with AI and Big Data

Jun 29 2018 // In the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, an ambulance speeds through traffic on a wave of green lights, helped along by an artificial intelligence (AI) system and big data.The system, which involves sending information to...

In Primary, Oklahoma Voters Back Proposed Medical Marijuana Law

Jun 28 2018 // Oklahoma voters on June 26 backed the medicinal use of marijuana, overcoming a late opposition campaign from law enforcement and business, faith and political leaders.State Question 788, the result of an activist-led...

Amazon to Buy Online Pharmacy Startup PillPack as Entry Into Health Care

Jun 28 2018 // Amazon.com Inc. agreed to buy the online pharmacy startup PillPack, jumping into the health care business with a deal that will give the retail giant an immediate nationwide drug network.The move represents a formidable...

How Insurance Plans Contribute to Opioid Epidemic: Johns Hopkins Study

Jun 22 2018 // Health care insurers including Medicare, Medicaid and major private insurers have not done enough to combat the opioid epidemic, suggests a study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.The...

Surgery, Not Pharma, Is Biggest Healthcare Cost Worry: Gawande

Jun 22 2018 // Dr. Atul Gawande, a surgeon who was named this week to head the company being formed by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase to trim employee healthcare costs, on Thursday cited surgery as the single biggest U.S....

Boston to Sue Drug Companies Over Opioids Epidemic

Jun 20 2018 // Boston is retaining a law firm to sue pharmaceutical companies for damages from the deadly opioid epidemic.Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh announced Tuesday he’s tapped Motley Rice and expects the South Carolina law...

Opioid Makers Endure Setback as Judge Lets New York Lawsuit Proceed

Jun 20 2018 // Purdue Pharma LP, Johnson & Johnson and other opioid makers faced one of the first extensive reviews of their legal defenses to claims they violated consumer-protection laws and created a public nuisance with the sale...

Patients in Louisiana Could Get More Details About Medication Costs

Jun 19 2018 // Louisiana patients could soon get more details about what happens at the pharmacy counter and whether they’ve gotten the most affordable medication for an ailment.In the regular legislative session, lawmakers passed...

Trump Labor Chief Readies Rule to Allow Small Business Health Plans

Jun 19 2018 // The Trump administration wants to make it easier for small businesses to join together to offer cheaper health insurance plans that would lack some of the protections required under Obamacare.The U.S. Labor Department on...

Maine Employers Are Not Required to Reimburse Employees for Medical Marijuana Use

Jun 19 2018 // The Maine Supreme Court has ruled that employers in the state are not required to reimburse employees for their use of medical marijuana under the Maine workers’ compensation system because federal law preempts state...