Jul 30 Majority of Americans misuse prescription drugs By Ed Silverman, STAT Many Americans appear to be misusing their prescription drugs in ways that put their health at risk, notably combining dangerous combinations of medicines, according to a report released this week. Continue reading
Apr 07 Hospital software often doesn’t flag unsafe drug prescriptions, report finds By Shefali Luthra, Kaiser Health News Medical errors are estimated to be the third-highest cause of death in the country. Experts and patient safety advocates are trying to change that. But at least one of the tools that’s been considered a fix isn’t yet working as… Continue reading
Mar 12 Watch 7:49 Detoxing after delivery: When babies are born withdrawing from opioids By Saskia de Melker, Melanie Saltzman The number of American babies born going through withdrawal from prescription painkillers and heroin used by their mothers during pregnancy, a condition called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, increased fivefold between 2000 and 2012. NewsHour's Alison Stewart explores the consequences of the… Continue watching
Jan 29 Watch 6:14 Drug shortages force U.S. doctors into ‘unethical corner’ By PBS News Hour Shortages of some prescription drugs are forcing doctors to make difficult decisions, in some cases choosing one patient over another, or sharing a dose between multiple patients. Hari Sreenivasan learns more about the rationing from Sheri Fink of The New… Continue watching
Dec 21 Why health plans’ drug coverage can be confusing for consumers By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News Patients getting chemotherapy or other complex medications may have a sudden panic when shopping for health insurance: Their drugs often don’t appear to be covered. Continue reading
Oct 19 Why some prescription drugs are so expensive By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News The news last month that Turing Pharmaceuticals had raised the price of a drug by 5,000 percent renewed a public conversation about how drug prices are set in the U.S. Continue reading
Aug 17 Watch 6:18 How the growing cost of drugs might affect your employer’s health plan By PBS News Hour More than half of large U.S. employers will more tightly manage their employees' use of prescription drugs next year, according to a new survey. The increased expenses from costly drugs threaten to push some employer health care plans over a… Continue watching
Aug 05 Patients say they can’t get medicine after crackdown on illegal Rx drugs By Rachel Gotbaum, Kaiser Health News In what may be an unintended side effect of a crackdown on prescription drug abuse, legitimate chronic pain patients are having increasing trouble getting the medicine that allows them to function on a daily basis. Continue reading
Aug 02 Watch 3:18 To stem addiction, recreational drug users tapped for clinical abuse trials By PBS News Hour Major pharmaceutical companies are reportedly recruiting thousands of recreational drug users to test a new generation of medicines that deter addiction, which could have a significant impact in the fight against prescription drug addiction. Financial Times reporter David Crow joins… Continue watching
Jul 15 California, Oregon first to allow birth control pills without prescription By Barbara Feder Ostrov, Kaiser Health News California and Oregon will be the first states in the nation to allow women to get birth control pills and other hormonal contraceptives directly from their pharmacists -- without a doctor’s prescription. Continue reading