Latest Drugs Headlines
All the headlines from our Drugs Topic Page, ordered by recency.
14 Charged for Roles in Deadly 2012 Meningitis Outbreak
Dec 18 2014 // In the biggest criminal case ever brought in the U.S. over contaminated medicine, 14 owners or employees of a Massachusetts pharmacy were charged Wednesday in connection with a 2012 meningitis outbreak that killed 64...
South Carolina Eyes Mandating Database Use to Curb Painkiller Abuse
Dec 3 2014 // A council created by Gov. Nikki Haley says requiring doctors to use a statewide database to check their patients’ prescription history can reduce the rampant abuse of painkillers in South Carolina. The...
Prescription Benefit Managers Excluding More High-Priced Drugs
Nov 26 2014 // Steve Miller is waging war on high- priced medicine, guiding decisions to ban drugs from the health plans of millions of Americans and sending companies reeling in a $270 billion market. He and his colleagues at Express...
It’s Time to End Physician Dispensing in Workers’ Comp
Nov 3 2014 // There has been an ongoing debate around the merits of physician dispensing in workers’ compensation. Those in favor of allowing this indicate it increases patient compliance with treatment recommendations and is more...
California Malpractice Proposition Hit by Polls, Studies, Spending
Oct 29 2014 // Two recent studies say a proposition on California’s November ballot to raise the pain and suffering cap for medical malpractice lawsuits will increase medical costs and malpractice premiums. The studies and heavy...
Judge Slashes $9 Billion Damages Award Against Drugmakers by 99%
Oct 28 2014 // Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. and Eli Lilly & Co. won a more than a 99 percent cut in a $9 billion punitive damages award over claims the drugmakers hid the cancer risks of their Actos diabetes medicine. Jurors properly...
Kentucky Man Falsely Identified As Drug Offender Seeks Lost Wages
Oct 27 2014 // A northern Kentucky man says a case of mistaken identity cost him thousands in pay and the respect of family and friends. Dana J. Davis said he found out his photo was distributed in an online newsletter put together by...
550 West Virginia Coal Miners Flunk Drug Tests
Oct 22 2014 // In the last two years, more than 550 West Virginia coal miners have temporarily lost their mining certifications because they failed a drug test. State Office of Miner’s Health, Safety and Training Eugene White...
Kentucky OxyContin Case Against Purdue Pharma Leads Fight Over Opioid Abuse
Oct 22 2014 // No one rises as Circuit Judge Steven Combs enters his courtroom in Pikeville, Kentucky. Combs wears a white shirt and yellow tie, no robe. Lawyers approach the bench as their cases are called, shake the judge’s hand...
New Jersey Pharmacist Admits Paying Kickbacks to Physicians
Oct 16 2014 // A southern New Jersey pharmacist has admitted paying tens of thousands of dollars in cash bribes to physicians for referring pain cream prescriptions, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday. Vladimir Kleyman, a 43-year-old...
Utah School Bus Driver Allegedly Under Influence on Field Trip
Oct 15 2014 // A Utah school bus driver was arrested Monday on suspicion of DUI after driving erratically and nearly hitting a car on a busy stretch of highway while taking 67 elementary-school students on a field trip, authorities...
Dallas Hospital’s Care of Deceased U.S. Ebola Patient Questioned
Oct 9 2014 // Hours after Dallas Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan died, his family called for an investigation into his care as top infectious disease doctors said he may have survived if his treatment had begun earlier. The family cited...
Study: Formulary Could Save California Workers’ Comp $124M-$420M
Oct 7 2014 // Adopting a state-mandated workers’ compensation prescription drug formulary similar to systems in place in Texas and Washington could reduce California workers’ comp pharmacy payments by between $124 million...
Supreme Court Agenda Includes Key Business Cases
Oct 7 2014 // Gay marriage may be the most anticipated issue heading for the U.S. Supreme Court, but the justices also must tackle a host of business cases as they convene for their new term, including a patent battle involving Teva...
Marijuana Report: Federal Government’s Role
Oct 6 2014 // Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of articles on the the marijuana insurance industry to appear on InsuranceJournal.com. Upcoming stories will include regional reports on how medical marijuana is...
Marijuana and Workers’ Compensation on Industry’s Watch List
Oct 3 2014 // Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of articles on the the marijuana insurance industry. Upcoming stories will include reports on potential changes to federal laws, and regional reports on how medical...
80 People Being Monitored in Dallas Ebola Case
Oct 2 2014 // More than 80 people in Dallas are being monitored for symptoms of Ebola after coming into contact with patient Thomas Eric Duncan or others who Duncan had met, health officials said. The people have been asked to report to...
More Pilots in Crashes Testing Positive for Prescription, Other Drugs
Sep 10 2014 // Four times as many pilots killed in airplane crashes tested positive for drugs over the past two decades, tracking a broader societal trend in the use of antihistamines, painkillers and marijuana. While most of the...
Changes in Washington
Sep 8 2014 // Groups that favor the legalization of marijuana say they are seeing positive developments at the federal level in Washington. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told lawmakers during a House Appropriations Committee hearing...
Businesses Irked by Alabama Court’s Generic Drug Label Ruling
Aug 25 2014 // Business isn’t buying the Alabama Supreme Court’s attempt to limit the fallout from its decision saying brand-name drugmakers can be held liable for warnings on generic medication produced by other companies. A...
