TheRepublic.com - Medication News

Deaths at Atlanta VA hospital prompt scrutiny

Sat, 25 May 2013 14:30:22 -0400

ATLANTA - One patient with a history of substance abuse and suicidal thoughts was left alone in a waiting room inside the Atlanta VA Medical Center, where he obtained drugs from a hospital visitor and later died of an overdose.

FDA warns of infections tied to Tennessee pharmacy

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:26:32 -0400

WASHINGTON - Health officials are investigating cases involving patients who suffered complications after being injected with potentially contaminated medications made by a Tennessee specialty pharmacy.

Mass. proposes fees for medical marijuana program

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:02:40 -0400

BOSTON - Medical marijuana dispensaries in Massachusetts would be required to pay a yearly registration fee of $50,000 and most patients would pay $50 annually to the state to remain in the program under a fee structure proposed Friday by state health officials.

9th Circuit panel rules 2011 raids constitutional

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:02:31 -0400

HELENA, Montana - A panel of appellate judges has upheld as constitutional the 2011 federal raids on Montana medical marijuana businesses, warehouses and homes that pot providers claimed violated their right to operate under state law.

Police bust S. Ore. medical marijuana dispensaries

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:05:07 -0400

MEDFORD, Oregon - Police have arrested four people in raids on medical marijuana dispensaries in Southern Oregon.

Zimbabwe activist: Prisoners denied AIDS drugs

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:21:16 -0400

HARARE, Zimbabwe - A Zimbabwean human rights activist says he wants the nation's highest court to order prison authorities to ensure suspects in jail can receive their life-prolonging HIV/AIDS medications.

Medical marijuana issue clears Ohio ballot board

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:59:03 -0400

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A proposed constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana and certain uses of hemp has cleared Ohio's ballot board.

Merck ends development of Parkinson's disease drug

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:37:14 -0400

WHITEHOUSE STATION, New Jersey - Merck & Co. says it is ending development of an experimental Parkinson's disease drug because the drug wasn't working.

J&J expects 10-plus new drug applications by 2017

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:06:09 -0400

NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey - Johnson & Johnson is developing what could eventually be game-changing treatments for depression and pain, and it's aiming to apply for approval of more than 10 new medicines by 2017, executives said Thursday during a review of the health care giant's medicine business.

NH Senate passes bill legalizing medical marijuana

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:04:43 -0400

CONCORD, New Hampshire - New Hampshire soon could join 18 other states and the District of Columbia in allowing seriously ill people to use marijuana in their medical treatment.

Medical marijuana bill clears Senate Finance panel

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:37:07 -0400

CARSON CITY, Nevada - A bill authorizing medical marijuana dispensaries in Nevada cleared a key Senate committee Thursday, more than a decade after voters legalized medical marijuana.

Vote on pot shops could end lingering LA issue

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:40:15 -0400

LOS ANGELES - Voters approved a law limiting the number of medical pot shops in Los Angeles after politicians failed for years to corral the blossoming industry.

FDA panel backs experimental Merck insomnia drug

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:54:54 -0400

WASHINGTON - A federal panel of medical experts said that an experimental insomnia drug from Merck & Co. Inc. appears safe and effective, despite evidence from company trials that the pill can cause daytime sleepiness and difficulty driving.

Glaxo, US partnering to develop new antibiotics

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:30:54 -0400

LONDON - GlaxoSmithKline PLC says it's starting an unusual collaboration with the U.S. government to develop several antibiotics for both bioterrorism threats and bacterial infections resistant to current medicines.

Beaumont votes to ban medical marijuana shops

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:02:05 -0400

BEAUMONT, California - A Riverside County city has become the latest to try banning medical marijuana dispensaries in the wake of a state Supreme Court ruling permitting prohibition.

Driver who uses medical marijuana wins appeal

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:20:52 -0400

LANSING, Michigan - The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that medical marijuana users aren't automatically breaking the law if they're caught driving after using the drug.

France: Drugmaker on trial, suspected in deaths

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:37:17 -0400

NANTERRE, France - The makers of a diabetes and weight loss drug suspected in the deaths of hundreds of people went on trial Tuesday, facing charges they misled the public about the product's safety.

Oberweis defends his vote for medical marijuana

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:09:16 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis says he broke ranks with most fellow Republicans and voted to legalize medical marijuana because it might help people in pain.

Vermont is 4th state to legalize assisted suicide

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:59:27 -0400

MONTPELIER, Vermont - After years of debate, Vermont became the fourth state in the country Monday to allow doctors to prescribe lethal doses of medicine to terminally ill patients seeking to end their lives.

Senate OKs regulations for medicinal marijuana

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:51:46 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - California would take steps to regulate the sale of medical marijuana under a bill approved Monday by the state Senate, restricting cannabis dispensaries that federal prosecutors say have grown out of control.

Actavis buying Warner Chilcott in $8.5B deal

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:35:24 -0400

NEW YORK - Actavis is buying Warner Chilcott in an all-stock deal valued at about $8.5 billion that would create the third-biggest specialty pharmaceutical company in the U.S. market.

FDA has safety concerns with Merck insomnia drug

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:44:14 -0400

WASHINGTON - Federal health regulators say an experimental insomnia drug from Merck can help patients fall asleep, but it also carries worrisome side effects, including daytime drowsiness and suicidal thinking.

Illinois governor reviewing medical marijuana bill

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:17:38 -0400

CHICAGO - Gov. Pat Quinn says he's reviewing a bill that would legalize the medical use of marijuana.

US adviser on board of firm that sold anthrax drug

Sun, 19 May 2013 22:58:30 -0400

WASHINGTON - Former Navy Secretary Richard J. Danzig, who has served as a bio-warfare adviser to the president, the Pentagon, and the Department of Homeland Security, urged the government to stockpile an anti-anthrax drug while serving as a director for the company that supplied it, according to a report published Sunday.

Law requires 1 form for authorization of medicine

Sun, 19 May 2013 04:02:04 -0400

LANSING, Michigan - A new Michigan law calls for the creation of a universal form that doctors can use when patients need prior authorization for coverage of prescription drugs.