Category: prescription drugs

How Rival Opioid Makers Sought To Cash In On Alarm Over OxyContin’s Dangers

Fentanyl and other painkillers marketed as safer than Purdue Pharma’s blockbuster drug left their own trail of overdose deaths.

Patients With Chronic Pain Feel Caught In An Opioid-Prescribing Debate

States are passing laws that limit a doctor’s ability to prescribe opioids. Doctors and patients alike are wrestling with what that means in cases of chronic pain.

To Tame Prescription Prices, HHS Dips A Toe Into Drug Importation Stream

The Trump administration signals it is willing to consider such a move if it is carefully tailored to focus solely on specific situations where a high-priced drug is made by one company.

Purdue Pharma Edits Public Service Ad In Washington Post

Did OxyContin maker admit opioids can be dangerous even when patients take them as prescribed — then walk it back?

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Drug Prices And Unicorns

In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico, and Erin Mershon of STAT News discuss a series of health policy court decisions on everything from prescription drug discounts to soda taxes. Plus, Rovner, interviews health care futurist and consultant Jeff Goldsmith.

Can Insurers Use Genetic Testing Results? A Reader Wants To Know

Other readers ask what can be done to challenge unexpected medical bills — whether the result of an emergency room visit or after a change in prescription drug coverage.

State Prisons Fail To Offer Cure To 144,000 Inmates With Deadly Hepatitis C

A survey of 49 states reveals that an estimated 144,000 inmates with hepatitis C, a curable but potentially fatal disease, can’t get the expensive drugs they need to cure it.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Whither Work Requirements?

In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News discuss the latest enrollment numbers for the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid work requirements in Kentucky and President Donald Trump’s proposed government reorganization plan. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week.

Tennessee-Based Pain Management Group To Close Clinics Amid Financial Turmoil

The CEO of Comprehensive Pain Specialists was indicted in April. Now the group is closing clinics across several states.

Poll: Two-thirds of Voters Say a Candidate’s Position on Pre-existing Conditions is Important to their Vote, More than Say the Same about Drug Costs, ACA Repeal or Medicare-for-All

About two-thirds (65%) of voters say a candidate’s support for continued protections for people with pre-existing health conditions is either the “single most important factor” or “very important” to their vote in the upcoming midterms elections, finds…