pharmaceuticals

Since pharmaceutical companies started funding their FDA drug applications 30 years ago, the agency’s reviews have gone much faster — perhaps too fast.

Approved as a device, not a drug, Plenity contains a plant-based gel that swells to fill 25% of a person’s stomach, to help people eat less. Results vary widely but are modest on average.

Attorney General Ashley Moody’s lawsuit contends five hospital districts, by pursuing separate claims against pharmaceutical industry companies, are jeopardizing settlements her office has reached.

After a Tennessee nurse killed a patient because of a drug error, the companies behind hospital medication cabinets said they would make the devices safer. But did they?

The hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin fiascoes have soured many doctors on repurposing drugs for COVID. A few inexpensive old drugs may be as good as some of the new antivirals, but they face complex obstacles to get to patients.

It’s understandable that patients desperately need help affording medicine, especially when their health is on the line. But these programs create a mirage that perpetuates our system’s reckless spending: They cover up a drug’s true price, much of which insurers pay, and that contributes to rising premiums.

Medicare has proposed limiting coverage of Aduhelm and several prominent groups representing patients and families are pressing to make it more widely available. But among individuals facing the disease, the outlook is more nuanced.

An epic battle is playing out behind the scenes over whether the government should pay for Aduhelm, an FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drug that scientists say has not been proven to work.

Just 18% of 5- to 11-year-olds are fully vaccinated, with rates varying significantly across the country, a KHN analysis of federal data shows. Pediatricians say the slow pace and geographic disparities are alarming.

At least three promising antiviral treatments for COVID-19 are being tested in clinical trials, with results expected as soon as late fall or winter.

More than 100 bills have been introduced in 42 states this year to regulate these companies, which serve as conduits for drug manufacturers, health insurers and pharmacies.

The final plan clears the way for Florida and other states to implement a program bringing medications across the border despite the strong objections of drugmakers and the Canadian government.