Prescription Drug News and Research

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New CDC opioid guidelines: Too little, too late for chronic pain patients?

Jessica Layman estimates she has called more than 150 doctors in the past few years in her search for someone to prescribe opioids for her chronic pain.

15 Mar 2023

Why does insulin cost so much? Big Pharma isn’t the only player driving prices

Eli Lilly & Co.'s announcement that it is slashing prices for its major insulin products could make life easier for some diabetes patients while easing pressure on Big Pharma.

9 Mar 2023

Despite pharma claims, illicit drug shipments to us aren’t full of opioids. It’s generic Viagra.

For years, the FDA has defended its efforts to intercept prescription drugs coming from abroad by mail as necessary to keep out dangerous opioids, including fentanyl.

6 Mar 2023

A bitter battle over the ‘orphan drug’ program leaves patients’ pocketbooks at risk

A prescription drug that helps Lore Wilkinson walk and talk despite a rare muscle disease cost her so little for more than a decade that she didn't even use her insurance to pay for it.

22 Feb 2023

In Tennessee, a Medicaid mix-up might land you on a ‘most wanted’ list

Life was upended for LaShonia Ingram over the past year, and a shadow still follows her around.

22 Feb 2023

Mark Cuban has been taking on the drug industry. But which one?

When billionaire Mark Cuban announced his attack on the pharmaceutical industry and its high-priced drugs in January 2021, it was met with cheers.

17 Feb 2023

A health-heavy State of the Union

Health care was a recurring theme throughout President Joe Biden's 2023 State of the Union address on Capitol Hill this week.

9 Feb 2023

Health policies were a prominent theme in Biden’s State of the Union speech

President Joe Biden on Tuesday delivered his State of the Union address to a politically divided Congress for the first time, calling for permanent fixes on policy priorities like unaffordable health care costs.

8 Feb 2023

Study identifies a sharp increase in cannabis-related emergency department visits among older adults

As a growing number of older adults are experimenting with cannabis to help alleviate chronic symptoms, a new University of California San Diego School of Medicine study has identified a sharp increase in cannabis-related emergency department visits among the elderly.

9 Jan 2023

Study: Doctors and their family members less likely to comply with prescription drug guidelines

Following established guidelines about prescription drugs would seem to be an obvious course of action, especially for the professionals that do the prescribing.

18 Dec 2022

States challenge Biden to lower drug prices by allowing imports from Canada

The Biden administration is facing mounting pressure from states to let them import medicine from Canada to help lower prescription drug costs.

14 Dec 2022

In rural America, deadly costs of opioids outweigh the dollars tagged to address them

Tim Buck knows by heart how many people died from drug overdoses in his North Carolina county last year: 10. The year before it was 12 — an all-time high.

12 Dec 2022

How have smoking trends changed during the COVID-19 pandemic in England?

A new study covered over 100,000 adults interviewed in person or over the phone to uncover sustained changes in smoking and cessation from 2017-2022.

9 Dec 2022

Buprenorphine prescription remained constant during the first year of COVID-19 pandemic

The number of active prescriptions for the opioid disorder treatment drug buprenorphine remained constant during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the number of new prescriptions for the treatment was far below what would normally have been expected, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

7 Dec 2022

Paxlovid has been free so far. Next year, sticker shock awaits.

Nearly 6 million Americans have taken Paxlovid for free, courtesy of the federal government. The Pfizer pill has helped prevent many people infected with covid-19 from being hospitalized or dying, and it may even reduce the risk of developing long covid.

7 Dec 2022

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Medicaid machinations

The lame-duck Congress is back in Washington with a long list of bills it would like to pass and a short time to do it before Republicans take over the House majority in January.

1 Dec 2022

Medicare plan finder likely won’t note new $35 cap on out-of-pocket insulin costs

A big cut in prescription drug prices for some Medicare beneficiaries kicks in next year, but finding those savings isn't easy.

15 Nov 2022

Post-‘Roe,’ contraceptive failures carry bigger stakes

Birth control options have improved over the decades. Oral contraceptives are now safer, with fewer side effects. Intrauterine devices can prevent pregnancy 99.6% of the time. But no prescription drug or medical device works flawlessly, and people's use of contraception is inexact.

7 Nov 2022

Centene showers politicians with millions as it courts contracts and settles overbilling allegations

On Nov. 2, 2021, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak's reelection campaign received 10 separate $10,000 contributions from what appeared to be unrelated health insurance plans from across the country.

4 Nov 2022

This open enrollment season, look out for health insurance that seems too good to be true

It took nearly a year for Kelly Macauley to realize the health plan she bought while shopping for insurance coverage last October was not, in fact, insurance.

1 Nov 2022