Pharmaceuticals

Some 8 percent of Americans have bought prescription drugs outside the U.S., a recent poll finds.

Looking For Bargains, Many Americans Buy Medicines Abroad

12:18pm December 17, 2016

by Rachel Bluth

Eight percent of respondents in a recent national poll said they or someone in their household had imported a prescription drug to the U.S. at some point. Are the deals as good as they seem?

Mylan CEO Heather Bresch defended pricing for the company's EpiPen on Capitol Hill in September.

Mylan To Sell Generic EpiPen At Half The Price Of Original

5:36pm December 16, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Drugmaker Mylan is launching a generic version of its own EpiPen. The lower price could quiet criticism about the high cost of the brand-name anti-allergy drug. There's also a business twist.

In an emailed statement, Mylan told NPR, "To date, we know of no evidence that Mylan participated in price fixing."

States Accuse Generic Drugmakers Of Price Fixing

5:13pm December 15, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Six drug companies are being sued for working together to manipulate prices on their generic versions of two widely used medicines.

The number of doctors prescribing millions of dollars in medication annually in Medicare's drug program has risen considerably.

Health & Safety

A Growing Group Of Doctors Are Big-Money Prescribers In Medicare

7:16am November 17, 2016

In 2011, just 41 health care providers prescribed more than $5 million each in medicines under Medicare Part D. In 2015, that number was 514. The rise of expensive hepatitis C drugs is a factor.

Biomedical Researchers Ponder Future After Trump Election

5:18pm November 15, 2016

by Richard Harris

The federal government spends more than $30 billion a year to fund the National Institutes of Health. How will a new administration affect academic research? What about pharmaceutical research?

Pfizer's Celebrex fared well in a safety study that compared the pain reliever with ibuprofen and naproxen.

Health & Safety

Safety Of Painkiller Celebrex Affirmed In New Study

6:52pm November 13, 2016

by Rob Stein

A large study alleviates concerns that Celebrex boosts the risk for heart attacks and strokes as much as Vioxx. But the findings raise some concerns about prescription doses of ibuprofen and naproxen.

Generic drugmaker Mylan is one of the companies reported to be the subject of a Justice Department investigation into pricing of generic drugs.

Generic Drugmakers Facing Antitrust Inquiry Over Rising Prices

2:52pm November 04, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

The Justice Department is investigating whether several companies colluded to raise prices of generic drugs. A report suggests a lawsuit could be filed this year.

An Alternative To The EpiPen Is Coming Back To Drugstores

10:47am October 26, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

The Auvi-Q epinephrine injector was pulled from the market in 2015 because of quality concerns. Now, the drug's maker says the problems have been solved and Auvi-Q will be available again in 2017.

WFYI's Jake Harper reports health stories for Side Effects Public Media in Indianapolis. His newest health anxiety stems from the human papillomavirus, or HPV.

Is 20-Something Too Late For A Guy To Get The HPV Vaccine?

8:37pm October 17, 2016

by Jake Harper

A generation of young men missed out on the HPV vaccine. Now, 29-year-old journalist Jake Harper wonders if that's putting him and other men at risk.

Queue Listen Now

Biotrial, a French company that runs clinical studies, has opened a facility in Newark, N.J.

Company That Ran Fateful Drug Trial In France Opens Test Facility In U.S.

11:09am October 05, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Months after a man died in a botched clinical trial in France, the company that ran it has opened a big research facility in New Jersey, where as many as 50 clinical trials could be done each year.