Latest Drugs Headlines

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

Judge Sets Schedule for Opioid Lawsuits Against Drug Companies

Apr 12 2018 // A federal judge pushing for a settlement in lawsuits seeking to hold drug companies responsible for their roles in the U.S. opioid epidemic on Wednesday set an aggressive schedule that would have the first trial take place...

As Opioid Prescriptions Decline, Abuse Treatment Costs Rise for Health Plans

Apr 9 2018 // A new report on the opioid crisis and employer-based health coverage, finds that while the use of prescription opioids among people with employer-based health coverage has declined to its lowest levels in over a decade,...

Ohio Now Requiring Transparency on Prescription Drug Pricing

Apr 6 2018 // Ohio Department of Insurance Director Jillian Froment has issued a bulletin requiring heightened protections for Ohio consumers related to prescription drug prices.The bulletin requires insurers and pharmacy benefit...

California Workers’ Comp Committee Votes to Lower Mid-Year Filing

Apr 5 2018 // The California Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s governing committee has voted to authorize the WCIRB to submit a lower mid-year pure premium rate filing to the California Department of Insurance...

How Medical Marijuana Reduces Opioid Use; Saves Lives, Money

Apr 3 2018 // Medical marijuana laws could be a boon to those battling the opioid epidemic, according to researchers who have identified a link between increased access to medical marijuana and a reduction in opioid prescriptions.The...

Arkansas AG Files Suit Against Opioid Manufacturers for Roles in Epidemic

Apr 2 2018 // Arkansas’ attorney general has joined the widening mass of litigation against opioid manufacturers, accusing three drugmakers of promoting addictive painkillers in ways that falsely denied or trivialized their...

West Virginia Gov Signs Bill Limiting Opioid Prescriptions

Apr 2 2018 // West Virginia’s governor has signed legislation to limit opioid prescriptions that doctors can prescribe to treat acute pain.Gov. Jim Justice signed the bill last week that would limit such prescriptions to supplies...

Lost Work Time Increases with Long-Term Opioid Prescriptions: WCRI

Apr 2 2018 // Using prescribed opioids adds significant time to temporary disability taken by workers with work-related lower back injuries, according to a new industry study. Temporary disability is time that workers spend away from...

Gov. Scott Signs Bill to Combat Florida Prescription Opioid Abuse

Apr 2 2018 // Gov. Rick Scott has signed Florida’s opioid legislation into law, a move seen by many as a good first step in combating a crisis that has claimed at least 16 lives a day in the Sunshine State.“What it does take...

Lost Work Time Increases with Long-Term Opioid Prescriptions: WCRI

Apr 2 2018 // Using prescribed opioids adds significant time to temporary disability taken by workers with work-related lower back injuries, according to a new industry study. Temporary disability is time that workers spend away from...

Indiana Workers’ Comp Formulary Bill Sent to Governor

Apr 2 2018 // The Indiana General Assembly passed legislation that adopts a drug formulary for the state’s workers’ compensation system. SB 369 was sent to Gov. Gov. Eric Holcomb for his signature on March 21.The Property...

Walmart Talking with Health Insurer Humana on Closer Ties, Possible Acquisition

Mar 30 2018 // U.S. retailer Walmart Inc. is in early-stage talks with health insurer Humana Inc. about developing closer ties, with the acquisition of Humana being discussed as one possibility, people familiar with the matter said on...

Working with Physicians, Cigna Cuts Prescription Opioid Use by 25%

Mar 28 2018 // Health insurer Cigna said it has achieved a 25 percent reduction in opioid use among its customers as a result of a partnership with more than 1.1 million prescribing physicians.The company said it reached this key metric...

Chicago-Based Dentist Group Puts Teeth into Push to Curb Opioid Use

Mar 27 2018 // The American Dental Association, based in Chicago, wants dentists to drastically cut back on prescribing opioid painkillers.The association announced a new policy that “essentially says eliminate opioids from your...

Opioid Crisis Leads Arkansas Cities, Counties to Sue Drug Makers

Mar 23 2018 // A coalition of cities and counties around Arkansas announced it had sued dozens of makers and distributors of opioids, arguing that the companies should bear the cost of drug abuse in the state.The Association of Arkansas...

Scott Signs Bill to Combat Florida Prescription Opioid Abuse

Mar 21 2018 // Gov. Rick Scott on Monday signed Florida’s opioid legislation into law, a move seen by many as a good first step in combating a crisis that has claimed at least 16 lives a day in the Sunshine State.“What it...

Massachusetts Court: Merck Can Be Sued Over Generic Drug Injury

Mar 19 2018 // Massachusetts’ top court on Friday opened the door for consumers to sue Merck & Co Inc and other makers of brand-name drugs over injuries blamed not on their own medications but on generic versions of their...

Another Oklahoma Tribe Sues Opioid Manufacturers, Distributors

Mar 16 2018 // A tribe in Oklahoma has filed a lawsuit accusing 26 drug manufacturers and distributors of contributing to the tribe’s opioid epidemic by fraudulently misrepresenting the risks and benefits of addictive...

Pharmacy Benefit Manager Regulation Bill Passed in Arkansas

Mar 15 2018 // The Arkansas House and Senate have passed a proposal to regulate pharmacy benefit managers, as lawmakers began a special session focused primarily on addressing a cut in reimbursements rates pharmacists have seen.SB2, the...

Good News on Opioid Usage for a Change – it’s Down in California Workers’ Comp

Mar 14 2018 // Efforts to curb the use of opioids in California’s workers’ compensation system appear to be paying off.New research from the California Workers’ Compensation Institute on prescription drugs used to treat...