Latest Drugs Headlines
All the headlines from our Drugs Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Number of Prescription Drugs Dispensed in West Virginia Expected to Decrease
Jun 17 2016 // The number of prescription drugs being dispensed in West Virginia is on pace to drop to its lowest amount in five years. The number of controlled substances being dispensed is expected to fall to 268 million by the end of...
N.Y. Gov. Cuomo Calls to Expand Help for Heroin Addiction
Jun 13 2016 // Limited opioid prescriptions, greater funding for addiction treatment and more support for people trying to stay clean: those are some of the proposals for attacking New York’s heroin and opioid problem released by...
Judge Questions FedEx Liability for Illegal Drug Shipments
Jun 13 2016 // Proving to jurors that FedEx Corp. is a criminal because it delivered illegal prescriptions from Internet drug stores was never going to be easy. Convincing a federal judge who questioned the “novel...
Missouri Governor Signs Bills Expanding Access to Medicines
Jun 10 2016 // Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has signed two bills aimed at expanding patient access to either cheaper biologic drugs or more expensive prescriptions. Nixon signed the legislation on June 8. One bill includes new rules for step...
WCRI Study Finds ‘Noticeable’ Drop in Opioid Prescriptions in Workers’ Compensation Cases
Jun 9 2016 // A new study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found “noticeable decreases” in the amount of opioids prescribed per workers’ compensation claim in a majority of 25 states studied. The...
Records Show Rural West Virginia Flooded with Painkillers
Jun 6 2016 // Information about pill shipments that prescription drug distributors being sued by the state had sought to keep secret show that the firms flooded rural West Virginia with hundreds of thousands of painkillers. The...
Unsealed Records Show Drug Firms Flooded Rural West Virginia With Painkillers
May 27 2016 // Information about pill shipments that prescription drug distributors being sued by the state had sought to keep secret show that the firms flooded rural West Virginia with hundreds of thousands of painkillers. The...
Massachusetts Emergency Workers Responding to More Opioid Overdoses
May 26 2016 // It all starts with a $20 to $30 purchase. That’s the average street price of heroin today, according to Framingham, Massachusetts, Police. But if that one purchase is a bad batch, too strong, or if the user injects...
Florida ‘Drug Pusher’ Doctor Sentenced to 25 years for Patient Deaths
May 26 2016 // A federal judge in Tampa, Fla., has sentenced a 76-year-old doctor to 25 years in prison for the deaths of three patients who were prescribed pain medications at his clinic. U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore told...
West Virginia Drug Diversion Squad to Aid in Fight Against State Drug Abuse
May 24 2016 // A new tactical diversion squad through the Drug Enforcement Agency will help north central West Virginia fight the state’s growing drug problem. WBOY-TV reports that starting next month the diversion squad will...
Equal Coverage of Cancer Drugs Required Under Michigan Bill
May 23 2016 // Cancer patients and survivors are lobbying lawmakers to make Michigan the latest in a long line of states to require equal insurance coverage of chemotherapy regardless of whether the drugs are given by needle or taken...
Workers’ Compensation Market Improved, Grew Premium in 2015: NCCI
May 23 2016 // The workers’ compensation market is healthy and profitable. This year’s “State of the Line” report, published by the National Council of Compensation Insurance (NCCI), indicates that the...
W. Virginia AG Announces New Initiative Against Prescription Drug Abuse
May 20 2016 // West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey plans to purchase incinerators for the disposal of unwanted and expired prescription medication in a state that leads the nation in the rate of overdose deaths. Morrisey...
New Hampshire’s Opioid Crisis Adds Urgency to Drug Prevention Education
May 18 2016 // As New Hampshire considers mandatory drug prevention education in all grades, the state’s opioid crisis has heightened the sense of urgency for existing programs that largely target teens. A proposal to require at...
North Carolina Medical Board Investigating Prescription Drug Overdoses
May 17 2016 // The North Carolina Medical Board is investigating 60 doctors and physician assistants with patients who died of overdoses of prescription drugs. Medical board officials tell The Charlotte Observer that two or more patients...
Vermont to Become 1st State Requiring Drug Makers to Explain Price Hikes
May 16 2016 // Vermont is poised to become the first state requiring drug companies to explain their price increases, and Bob and Deborah Messing think that’s a good idea. The Messings live in Montpelier and are in their early 70s....
New York Announces Task Force to Combat Heroin, Opioid Abuse
May 11 2016 // New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday announced he’s forming a new statewide task force to combat heroin and opioid abuse. Cuomo said the task force is comprised of experts in healthcare, drug policy, advocacy,...
Nevada Doctor Sued by Parents of Painkiller Overdose Victim
May 11 2016 // The Reno, Nev. doctor at the center of a federal investigation into an illegal prescription drug ring is being accused by the parents of an overdose victim of ignoring their warnings and continuing to increase the strength...
Workers’ Compensation Market Improved, Grew Premium in 2015: NCCI
May 6 2016 // The workers’ compensation market is healthy and profitable. This year’s “State of the Line” report, published by the National Council of Compensation Insurance (NCCI), indicates that the...
Public, Private Insurers Picking Up More of Opioid Drug Costs
May 3 2016 // According to a study released by Centers for Disease Control (CDC), consumer out-of-pocket spending on opioids has declined, with insurers picking up more of the tab. The study found that consumer out-of-pocket spending on...
