DRUGS/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Friday [5-10-18] plans to outline a series of initiatives aimed at curbing drug prices, unveiling a blueprint to drive down costs amid complaints that Washington has done little to address the issue. The speech, which has been twice delayed, is spurring skepticism from industry experts and Democrats who […]
Category: Drugs
4/27/2018
DRUGS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I urge all Americans to participate in #takebackday tomorrow! Let’s come together and BEAT last October’s record of disposed prescription pills! Visit https://t.co/QCG7bHvvxd to learn more on how to participate Saturday and every day. https://t.co/W00YxL1RwK“ -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 27, 2018 2:23 pm […]
4/24/2018
DRUGS/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP PEOPLE/VA: “A top Senate Democrat says allegations against President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Veterans Affairs involve him being “repeatedly drunk” when he was a White House physician. Sen. Jon Tester of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee is reviewing the allegations against Ronny Jackson, a White House doctor since 2006. He tells NPR the […]
4/20/2018
CHUCK SCHUMER/DEMS/DRUGS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Friday [4-20-18] backed the decriminalization of marijuana, unveiling a bill removing it from the federal schedule of controlled substances days after President Donald Trump softened his own stance over the drug. Schumer said his position had ‘evolved’ and threw his support behind more local […]
4/17/2018
DEA/DRUGS/JEFF SESSIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration Tuesday [4-17-18] proposed changing federal rules to say that officials must consider how badly a drug is being abused in setting quotas for the production of the medication. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the publishing of the proposed rule changes in a speech in North Carolina, saying the […]
4/16/2018
CONGRESS/DRUGS/OBAMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Deep within President Donald Trump’s plan to combat opioid abuse, overshadowed by his call for the death penalty for some drug traffickers, is a push to expand the use of medication to treat addiction. It’s a rare instance in which Trump isn’t trying to dismantle Obama administration policies, and where fractious Republicans […]
4/16/2018
DRUGS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump is set to deliver his first major speech on drug prices on April 26, revisiting an issue he campaigned on but that is unlikely to yield major legislative changes. The strategy is unlikely to call for actions of the sort Trump touted on the campaign trail like allowing the […]
4/16/2018
DRUGS/MELANIA: “First lady Melania Trump has visited a memorial dedicated to victims of the opioid crisis. Mrs. Trump tweeted Monday [4-16-18] that it was a ‘Very moving visit today.’ She added that the memorial was a ‘worthwhile project’ among the White House, the Interior Department and the National Park Service. The memorial in Washington is […]
4/13/2018
DRUGS/JEFF SESSIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump has promised to support legislation protecting the marijuana industry in states that have legalized the drug, a move that could lift a threat to the industry made by the U.S. attorney general just three months ago. Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado said Friday [4-13-18] that Trump made […]
4/11/2018
DRUGS/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “RT @StateDept: .@POTUS Trump at Signing of #FOSTA #SESTA bill: We are going to do everything in our power to make sure traffickers are brou…” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 11, 2018 11:34 am […]
4/11/2018
DRUGS/ TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The @WhiteHouse is partnering with @Interior and @NatlParkService to bring the @NSCsafety’s ‘Prescribed to Death’ Opioid Memorial to the Ellipse – beginning tomorrow, April 12th to April 18th. More information:” https://t.co/z4FPQxt4Bl https://t.co/XvScPqvAkQ -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 11, 2018 10:47 am […]
4/3/2018
CHINA/DRUGS/FDA/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration’s proposed tariffs on thousands of Chinese-manufactured products would target dozens of key products used by drugmakers, as well as medical devices including pacemakers and artificial joints. The 25 percent tariff would be placed on raw ingredients for drugs such as insulin used by diabetics, the anti-allergic-reaction drug epinephrine, as […]
3/27/2018
DRUGS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I am very pleased to welcome the opioid memorial to the President’s Park in April. I encourage all to visit and remember those who we have lost to this deadly epidemic. We will keep fighting until we defeat the opioid crisis!” https://t.co/ZM7AYJyECr -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 27, 2018 1:35PM […]
3/19/2018
DRUGS/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: RT @WhiteHouse: The opioid crisis has created stories of despair of shock, but also stories of recovery & hope. President Trump is asking every Americans to share their story to overcome stigma, & begin to fight against the Crisis Next Door. –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 19, 2018 05:38pm […]
3/18/2019
DRUGS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s plan to fight the opioid epidemic will call for the death penalty in some cases, White House officials said Sunday [3-18-18], scaling back the administration’s plan to punish drug dealers. ‘The Department of Justice will seek the death penalty against drug traffickers when appropriate under current law,’ said […]
3/15/2018
DRUGS/GOP/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is finalizing a long-awaited plan that it says will solve the opioid crisis, but it also calls for law enforcement measures — like the death penalty for some drug dealers — that public health advocates and congressional Republicans warn will detract from efforts to reverse the epidemic. The ambitious […]
3/13/2018
CRIME/DRUGS/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “‘According to the Center for Immigration Studies, the $18 billion wall will pay for itself by curbing the importation of crime, drugs and illegal immigrants who tend to go on the federal dole…’ https://t.co/NdLC6jZwWE” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 13, 2018 10:24am […]
3/13/2018
DRUGS/PHARMA/POLITICS: “A panel that advises the White House on cancer policy said urgent action is needed to curb a dramatic rise in the price of cancer drugs, which can cost more than $100,000 a year and mean thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket payments for many patients… The panel broadly recommended that drug companies should be […]
3/10/2018
DRUGS/MEDIA/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP FAMILY/MELANIA: “President Donald Trump attacked his critics, promoted his steel and aluminum tariffs and tossed out an idea to have drug dealers face the death penalty, addressing a raucous rally on Saturday for a Republican congressional candidate in a tight race. … Continuing his battle against the mainstream news media, Trump insulted […]
3/8/2018
DEMS/DRUGS/GOP/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders are pressing ahead with an array of opioid-related efforts in coming weeks, teeing up bills and spending measures, while Democrats are calling the GOP actions belated and insufficient. On Thursday [3-8-18], a bipartisan group of governors will testify before the Senate Health Committee on opioid […]
3/7/2018
DRUGS/FDA/HHS/PHARMA/SCOTT GOTTLIEB: “Scrutiny of prescription drug prices isn’t going away, no matter how badly investors wish that it might. Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, laid out the flaws in how drugs are priced in the U.S. in a speech on Wednesday [3-7-18] before a health-insurance trade group… Excessive market concentration among […]
3/1/2018
CRIME/DRUGS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Thursday [3-1-18] suggested using the death penalty on drug dealers to address the opioid epidemic, equating providing lethal drugs with murder. ‘We have pushers and drugs dealers, they are killing hundreds and hundreds of people,’ Trump said at a White House summit on opioid abuse. ‘If you […]
3/1/2018
DRUGS/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Together, we will face this challenge as a national family with conviction, with unity, and with a commitment to love and support our neighbors in times of dire need. Working together, we will defeat this #OpioidEpidemic. Full Opioid Summit: https://t.co/qqfeVr4BBf https://t.co/oFvr0DJMEf” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 1, 2018 04:31pm […]
2/25/2018
DRUGS/FDA/HHS/PHARMA: “In an effort to encourage new treatments for opioid addiction, the Food and Drug Administration plans to begin permitting pharmaceutical companies to sell medications that help temper cravings, even if they don’t fully stop addiction. The change is part of a wider effort to expand access to so-called medication-assisted treatment, or MAT. The agency […]
2/20/2018
DRUGS/HOUSE OF REPS/PHARMA: “House Republicans will begin a series of legislative hearings next week as the first step in an effort to pass bipartisan bills tackling the opioid crisis. The plan from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which will hold the first hearing on Feb. 28, will likely require additional funding from Congress, lawmakers […]
2/15/2018
DRUGS/FDA: “The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first blood test to evaluate concussions, otherwise known as mild traumatic brain injuries, in patients after accidents, military wounds, sports collisions and other causes. The blood test from Banyan Biomarkers Inc. could be useful in diagnosing brain injuries that lead to an estimated 2.5 million emergency-room […]
2/12/2018
DRUGS/LOBBYING/PHARMA: “Five manufacturers of opioid painkillers gave nearly $9 million between 2012 and 2017 to patient advocacy groups and other nonprofits that have a history of promoting opioid use, according to a probe by the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Those same firms gave more than $1.6 million to […]
2/12/2018
DRUGS/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Thank you to Sue Kruczek, who lost her wonderful and talented son Nick to the Opioid scourge, for your kind words while on @foxandfriends. We are fighting this terrible epidemic hard – Nick will not have died in vain!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Feb. 12, 2018 07:54am […]
2/9/2018
DRUGS/PHARMA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “White House deputy chief of staff Jim Carroll, who has served in that role for nearly three months, is expected to leave the White House to helm the Office of National Drug Control Policy, two sources with knowledge of the decision told CNN Friday [2-9-18]. Carroll, a White House lawyer who quietly became […]
2/9/2018
DRUGS/HHS/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is backing a set of actions aimed at lowering prescription-drug costs, including a cap on the dollar amount that American seniors pay each year for expensive prescription drugs. The administration wasn’t specific about the dollar amount for the drug cap, and some of the proposals would require congressional action. […]
2/6/2018
BUDGET/DRUGS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: “State and local law enforcement officials are fighting a Trump administration proposal to move oversight of a $275 million drug prevention program to the Justice Department, fearing that such a move would steer the country’s drug-fighting strategy toward federal legal crackdowns and away from years of holistic, community-based approaches. A draft budget plan […]
2/6/2018
CRIME/DRUG/KELLYANNE CONWAY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP POSITION CHANGES: “President Donald Trump’s war on opioids is beginning to look more like a war on his drug policy office. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway has taken control of the opioids agenda, quietly freezing out drug policy professionals and relying instead on political staff to address a lethal crisis claiming […]
1/11/2018
BORDER/DEMS/DRUGS/WALL: “The Democrats seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the Southern Border, risking thousands of lives in the process. It is my duty to protect the lives and safety of all Americans. We must build a Great Wall, think Merit and end Lottery & Chain. USA!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, […]
1/11/2018
DRUGS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Yesterday, I signed the #INTERDICTAct (H.R. 2142) with bipartisan members of Congress to help end the flow of drugs into our country. Together, we are committed to doing everything we can to combat the deadly scourge of drug addiction and overdose in the United States! https://t.co/ELZvFol5Lo” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Jan. 11, 2018 […]
1/9/2018
DRUGS/LEGAL/PHARMA: “A federal judge is pushing for a swift resolution to hundreds of lawsuits filed by cities and counties over the opioid crisis, saying Tuesday [1-9-18] that too many people are dying each year from opioid abuse. ‘I don’t think anyone in the country is interested in a whole lot of finger pointing at this […]
12/20/2017
CRISIS/DRUGS/LEGAL/PHARMA: “Citing a spike in overdose deaths, growing demands for drug treatment and a strained budget, officials here in Summit County filed a lawsuit late Wednesday [12-20-17] against companies that make or distribute prescription opioids. On Monday, Smith County in Tennessee did the same. And on Tuesday, nine cities and counties in Michigan announced similar […]
12/20/2017
DRUGS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Lawrence ‘Chip’ Muir, the acting chief of staff and general counsel for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, was suddenly dismissed from his job Tuesday [12-19-17] afternoon, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Muir’s termination comes as the future of the agency remains unclear despite President Donald Trump’s emphasis […]
12/19/2017
DRUGS/LABOR: “The number of U.S. deaths at work from unintentional drug and alcohol overdoses jumped more than 30% in 2016, according to new government data, showing that the nation’s struggle with a deadly opioid epidemic is migrating to the workplace. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries said Tuesday that 217 […]
12/8/2017
DRUGS/PHARMA/POLITICS/TAXES: “A tax overhaul bill being hammered into its final form by Senate and House Republicans is all but certain to cut tax credits designed to encourage development of ‘orphan drugs’ meant to treat rare diseases afflicting limited numbers of patients. Since 1983, a federal law has allowed fledgling companies to write off 50% of […]
11/30/2017
DRUGS/HHS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump will donate his third-quarter salary to the Department of Health and Human Services’ efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, the Trump administration said Thursday [11-30-17]. Acting Health and Human Services Secretary Eric Hargan, speaking with reporters at Thursday’s White House press briefing, said the donation shows Trump’s ‘sense of […]
11/29/2017
DRUGS/HHS/NOMINATIONS/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Alex Azar, a former drug industry executive who Republicans have nominated to run the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, on Wednesday [11-29-17] promised to lower drug prices that he said are too high, saying he would look at abuse of patent laws that delays generic competition. Azar, who worked at […]
11/14/2017
DRUGS/HHS/NOMINATIONS/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump tweeted Monday [11-13-17] that his nominee for HHS secretary, Alex Azar will ‘be a star for … lower drug prices!’ But the record of the former top executive for Eli Lilly, which tripled the price of a top-selling insulin drug while he led its U.S. operation, suggests a different […]
11/9/2017
DRUGS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Department of Justice plans to classify illicit versions of fentanyl as Class 1 drugs in an emergency effort to stop the creation of new synthetic opioids and make prosecution easier. DOJ and Drug Enforcement Administration officials announced Thursday that they intend to classify substances structurally related to fentanyl in ‘schedule […]
11/8/2017
CHINA/DRUGS/FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump is looking to President Xi Jinping to ‘do something’ about America’s opioid epidemic, for which he blames China… Buying opioids from China, despite legal prohibitions, remains as easy as providing money and a shipping address. A drug bazaar thrives on Chinese websites, providing one-stop shopping for users around the […]
11/7/2017
DRUGS/PHARMA: “Thank you to all Americans who participated in Nat’l Rx Drug Take Back Day. A record amount of drugs collected & disposed. We can do this!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Nov. 7, 2017 04:50pm […]
10/31/2017
DRUGS/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Officials in multiple U.S. states are seeking to substantially expand a lawsuit accusing generic-drug companies of colluding to fix prices, including new allegations that high-ranking executives at two companies were directly involved. Attorneys general in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico filed a motion in federal court in […]
10/28/2017
CRISIS/DRUGS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Today is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Everyone can help fight the #OpioidEpidemic by participating! https://t.co/ONObTWOaOn https://t.co/CYG11DnxH7” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, October 28, 2017 09:37am […]
10/27/2017
DRUGS/HHS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration announced Friday [10-27-17] it is relaxing a federal privacy rule that prevents health providers from notifying family members about a drug overdose, one of the administration’s most significant policy shifts to combat the nation’s opioid crisis. The new rule will explicitly permit health-care providers to share information with family […]
10/26/2017
DRUGS/HHS/PHARMA/TRUMP MEMORANDA: “Presidential Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies Combatting the National Drug Demand and Opioid Crisis.. It shall be the policy of the United States to use all lawful means to combat the drug demand and opioid crisis currently afflicting our country. Individuals, families, and communities across the United States continue […]
10/26/2017
DRUGS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “WORKING TOGETHER, we will defeat this #OpioidEpidemic & free our nation from the terrible affliction of drug abuse. https://t.co/iAZjqGMwav https://t.co/mZI5uQN4oZ” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, October 26, 2017 08:18pm […]
10/26/2017
DRUGS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Effective today, my administration officially declared the #OpioidCrisis a NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY under federal law. https://t.co/YosOBurdCw” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, October 26, 2017 04:29pm […]
10/26/2017
DRUGS/HHS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Thursday [10-26-17] will declare opioid addiction a ‘public health emergency,’ seeking to elevate the crisis within his administration without an immediate provision of additional funds. The description stops short of the ‘national emergency’ designation that Mr. Trump had said over the summer he would apply to the epidemic […]
10/25/2017
DRUGS/FDA/HHS/SCOTT GOTTLIEB/TOM PRICE: “As the opioid epidemic in the U.S. continues to kill more and more Americans, the Food and Drug Administration wants to lift the stigma on the idea of using drugs to treat a drug habit. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told a U.S. House committee on Wednesday [10-25-17] that his agency is looking […]
10/20/2017
DRUGS/HHS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump overrode his own advisers when he promised to deliver an emergency declaration next week to combat the nation’s worsening opioid crisis… Blindsided officials are now scrambling to develop such a plan, but it is unclear when it will be announced, how or if it will be done, and whether […]
10/19/2017
DEA/DRUGS/LEGAL: “In September 2016, local Rep. Judy Chu met with then-head of the Drug Enforcement Agency Chuck Rosenberg. She was reassured by Rosenberg that recently passed legislation related to the oversight of how opioids are distributed, which she cosponsored, ‘did not interfere with the DEA’s ability to successfully stop bad actors.’ Now, Chu has written […]
10/18/2017
CRIME/DRUGS/JEFF SESSIONS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/OBAMA ADMIN: “Former Obama administration Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday [10-18-17] slammed the Trump administration’s approach to crime and called on Congress to impose change. Holder, speaking at a Washington event for law enforcement supportive of criminal justice reforms — such as increasing mental health and drug treatment, federal support for community […]
10/17/2017
CHINA/DRUGS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: “The Justice Department said Tuesday [10-17-17] that it has indicted two Chinese nationals suspected of manufacturing and then distributing in the U.S. a synthetic opioid that officials say kills thousands of Americans every year. The two suspects, Xiaobing Yan and Jian Zhang, face a raft of charges, including conspiracy to distribute large quantities […]
10/17/2017
DRUGS/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s pick for White House drug czar removed himself from consideration after a backlash over his role in passing a law that made it tougher to limit the spread of opioid drugs. In a Twitter post Tuesday [10-17-17] morning, the president said that Rep. Tom Marino, a Pennsylvania Republican, ‘informed […]
10/17/2017
DRUGS/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Rep.Tom Marino has informed me that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as drug czar. Tom is a fine man and a great Congressman!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, October 17, 2017 07:39am […]
10/16/2017
COLOMBIA/CRIME/DRUGS/TRUMP MEMORANDA: “Notice Regarding the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Significant Narcotics Traffickers Centered in Colombia On October 21, 1995, by Executive Order 12978, the President declared a national emergency with respect to significant narcotics traffickers centered in Colombia pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706) to deal […]
10/16/2017
DRUGS/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday [10-16-17] he would review a report that his nominee for drug czar championed a law that weakened the government’s ability to fight the nation’s opioid epidemic, and said he could consider jettisoning the pick… Asked if the report had undercut his confidence in his nominee […]
10/9/2017
CALIFORNIA/DRUGS/PHARMA: “California’s governor has signed a bill into law that requires pharmaceutical companies to give notice and reason for price increases of certain drugs, placing the state at the center of the national debate over costs over prescription drugs’ costs. The law, which drew bipartisan legislative support and Democrat Gov. Jerry Brown signed Monday [10-9-17], […]
10/2/2017
DRUGS/FDA/SCOTT GOTTLIEB: “The new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration declared high drug prices are ‘a public health concern that FDA should address,’ and he began offering concrete steps the agency will employ to speed new, complex drugs to market through more efficient processes partially designed to address high drug prices. Commissioner Scott Gottlieb […]
9/29/2017
DRUGS/TRUMP FAMILY/MELANIA: “First lady Melania Trump on Thursday [9-29-17] led her first roundtable discussion on a policy issue, signaling she is adding the opioid crisis and its effects on families and children to her portfolio… Some of the invitees’ lives were directly affected by opioid abuse and others work in the drug recovery field. Other […]
9/19/2017
DRUGS/POLITICS: “A bipartisan group of states investigating the opioid painkiller industry and the causes of widespread addiction has stepped up its probe with a fresh demand for documents from drugmakers and distributors. States including New York, California and Tennessee announced the moves, saying a group of 41 attorneys general served subpoenas on manufacturers Endo International […]
9/14/2017
COLOMBIA/DRUGS/FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. and Colombia, longtime allies in the war on drugs, clashed after President Donald Trump warned he was considering removing Colombia from Washington’s list of drug-fighting partners because of a surge in the coca crop. American officials, who say more than 90% of the cocaine in the U.S. originates in […]
9/13/2017
CRIME/DRUGS/TRUMP MEMORANDA: “Presidential Memorandum for the Secretary of State Presidential Determination on Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries for Fiscal Year 2018 Pursuant to section 706(1) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107-228) (FRAA), I hereby identify the following countries as major drug transit and/or major illicit […]
8/28/2017
DRUGS: “The number of drug-related overdose deaths in Connecticut is forecast to exceed 1,000 in 2017, the highest number since the opioid epidemic began and the latest indication that the crisis hasn’t abated, according to data released Monday [8-28-17]. There were 539 deaths related to drug-abuse through June 30, the state’s medical examiner said. If […]
8/24/2017
DRUGS/HHS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Two weeks ago, in response to a reporter’s question, President Trump proclaimed that he considered the opioid crisis to be ‘a national emergency,’ leading many news organizations to report that a national emergency had been declared. But the Trump administration, perhaps caught off guard by the president’s statement, has not yet taken […]
8/14/2017
DRUGS/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President’s Manufacturing Council,he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, August 14, 2017 07:54am […]
8/10/2017
CRIME/DRUGS/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency Thursday [8-10-17], establishing a formal designation for the crisis that could shape the way his administration responds… A White House commission on the opioid crisis led by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a one-time Republican rival and subsequent backer of Mr. […]
8/8/2017
CRIME/DRUGS: “President Donald Trump pledged a tougher law enforcement response to an epidemic of opioid addiction, and top officials in his administration said they wanted to increase the availability of an anti-overdose treatment in response to the crisis… Mr. Trump cited a dramatic rise in opioid overdose deaths in the past two decades and a […]
8/8/2017
DRUGS/NATIONAL SECURITY: “I will be holding a major briefing on the Opioid crisis, a major problem for our country, today at 3:00 P.M. in Bedminster, N.J.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, August 8, 2017 06:11am […]
8/8/2017
CRIME/DRUGS/HHS/TOM PRICE: “President Donald Trump has scheduled what he called a ‘major briefing’ for Tuesday [8-8-17] on the epidemic of opioid drug use in the United States, a health crisis that kills more than 100 Americans daily. In the midst of a two-week getaway at his golf club in New Jersey, Trump will meet with […]
8/1/2017
DRUGS/VA/VETS: “Veterans using a Department of Veterans Affairs program to seek care from doctors in the private sector instead of the VA face a greater danger of becoming entangled in the country’s opioid epidemic, the VA said Tuesday [8-1-17]. Findings from the VA’s Office of Inspector General show that programs allowing veterans to get care […]
7/31/2017
DRUGS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump’s commission on the opioid crisis asked him Monday [7-31-17] to declare a national emergency to deal with the epidemic. The members of the bipartisan panel called the request their ‘first and most urgent recommendation.’ Mr. Trump created the commission in March, appointing Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey to lead […]
7/27/2017
CRIME/DRUGS/PHARMA: “The top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee expanded a probe into the opioid addiction crisis, asking four more drug companies and three drug distributors to provide documents. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D.-Mo.) sent letters Wednesday [7-26-17] to drugmakers Mallinckrodt PLC, Endo International PLC, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Allergan PLC, […]
7/21/2017
DRUGS/LOBBYING/PHARMA/POLITICS: “Two federal investigations — one examining opioid sales, another about a multiple sclerosis drug whose price had soared to $34,000 a vial — were only part of the troubles Mallinckrodt faced as the year began. The stock of the drug maker, whose United States headquarters are in St. Louis, was tanking. Wall Street worried […]
7/21/2017
COLOMBIA/DEFENSE/DRUGS/STATE/TRUMP MEMORANDA: “Presidential Memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense Continuation of U.S. Drug Interdiction Assistance to the Government of Colombia By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, and pursuant to the authority vested in me by section 1012 of […]
7/20/2017
DRUGS/PHARMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Thursday [7-20-17] announced a $500 million investment that Corning Inc is making with pharmaceutical giants Merck and Pfizer to manufacture a new kind of glass for injectable drug vials. At a White House event, Trump said the effort will create nearly 1,000 jobs at facilities in New York […]
7/19/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/CRIME/DRUGS/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ methodical dismantling of the Obama administration’s criminal justice policies rolled forward Wednesday [7-19-17] as the Justice Department announced plans to step up efforts to seize property and money suspected of being used in crime or obtained through illegal activity. Sessions encouraged a return to the broader use of […]
7/13/2017
DRUGS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s commission aimed at fighting opioid abuse and devising a strategy to provide treatment to those addicted will miss — for the second time — its deadline to file an interim report to the President, according to a notice posted by the group. The commission, which is being led by […]
7/12/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/DRUGS/HEALTHCARE/LEGAL/OBAMACARE(ACA)/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions is poised to announce a major law enforcement action this week targeting health-care fraud, focusing on opioid treatment programs exploiting Obamacare insurance plans, according to two people familiar with the matter. In what is described as a nationwide sweep with hundreds of arrests being carried out across […]
7/10/2017
DRUGS/FDA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT GOTTLIEB: “Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is calling for his agency to institute rigorous new safety standards for how immediate-release opioids are prescribed, in an effort to curb the nation’s opioid crisis. Dr. Gottlieb, in a talk kicking off an FDA workshop of public-health officials on painkiller safety and abuse, said […]
6/22/2017
CRIME/DRUGS/MEXICO/WALL: “Mexico was just ranked the second deadliest country in the world, after only Syria. Drug trade is largely the cause. We will BUILD THE WALL!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, June 22, 2017 05:15pm […]
6/16/2017
DRUGS/HEALTHCARE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Weeks before the presidential election, at a packed rally in New Hampshire, Donald J. Trump recounted the story of a young woman and her boyfriend who had fatally overdosed within a year of each other. He promised not just a border wall to keep drugs out, but also more access to treatment. […]
6/11/2017
DRUGS/HHS/PHARMA/TRUMP PEOPLE/TOM PRICE: “Five years ago, Vivitrol was a treatment for opioid addiction that was struggling to find a market. Now, its sales and profile are rising fast, thanks to its manufacturers’ shrewd use of political connections, and despite scant science to prove the drug’s efficacy. Last month, the health and human services secretary, Tom […]
6/11/2017
DRUGS/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA): “The nation’s worsening opioid crisis has become another sticking point in Republican plans to dismantle major portions of the Affordable Care Act, with key GOP senators hesitating to support a bill that could threaten addiction treatment for millions of people. Several provisions of the ACA, also known as Obamacare, allowed millions of Americans seeking […]
6/9/2017
DRUGS/PHARMA: “U.S. sales of blockbuster prostate-cancer drugs have dropped sharply since the start of a federal investigation into charities that help patients pay for these drugs, a sign of how much the pharmaceutical industry relies on these foundations to support revenue. Drugmakers donate hundreds of millions of dollars a year to charities that help U.S. […]
6/8/2017
CRIME/DRUGS/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The federal prison population is expected to grow next year by 4,171 to a total of 191,493 as the Trump administration steps up prosecutions of illegal immigrants and drug offenders, reversing the trend toward a smaller prison population under former President Barack Obama. That estimate of 2% growth in fiscal 2018 was […]
5/23/2017
CRIME/DRUGS/FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/PHILIPPINES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump praised President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines in a phone call last month for doing an ‘unbelievable job on the drug problem’ in the island nation where the government has sanctioned gunning down suspects in the streets. Mr. Trump also boasted that the United States has ‘two nuclear […]
5/18/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/CRIME/DRUGS/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Louisiana has the nation’s highest incarceration rate. But this week, Gov. John Bel Edwards struck a deal to reduce sentences and the prison population, saving millions annually. If lawmakers approve the changes, Louisiana will be following more than 30 states, including Georgia, Texas and South Carolina, that have already limited sentences, […]
5/15/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/CRIME/DRUGS/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “The attorney general on Friday [5-12-17] made an unfortunate announcement that will impact the lives of millions of Americans: he issued new instructions for prosecutors to charge suspects with the most serious provable offenses, ‘those that carry the most substantial guidelines sentence, including mandatory minimum sentences.’ Mandatory minimum sentences have unfairly […]
5/12/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/CRIME/DRUGS/OBAMA/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered federal prosecutors late Thursday [5-11-2017] to pursue the toughest possible charges and sentences against crime suspects, reversing Obama administration efforts to ease penalties for some nonviolent drug violations. The dramatic shift in criminal justice policy, foreshadowed during recent weeks, is Mr. Sessions’s first major stamp on […]
5/9/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/CRIME/DRUGS/TRUMP PEOPLE/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to soon toughen rules on prosecuting drug crimes, according to people familiar with internal deliberations, in what would be a major rollback of Obama-era policies that would put his first big stamp on a Justice Department he has criticized as soft on crime. Mr. Sessions […]
3/29/2017
DRUGS/TRUMP EXEC ORDERS: ” ‘Establishing the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis’ The order creates the ‘Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and Opioid Crisis,’ which will study the federal government’s effectiveness in fighting drug addiction by reviewing funding levels, accessibility of treatment services, prescription practices and youth educational messages. A report […]
3/29/2017
DRUGS/TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS: “By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Policy. It shall be the policy of the executive branch to combat the scourge of drug abuse, addiction, and overdose (drug addiction), including opioid […]
2/13/2017
DRUGS/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/PHARMA: “Politicians once again are concerned that a drug company that plans to sell an old medicine at a very high price is taking advantage of the system. On Monday [2-13-17], Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) sent a letter to the chief executive of Marathon Pharmaceuticals, arguing that the Illinois company […]
2/9/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/CRIME/DRUGS/TRUMP EXEC ORDERS: ” ‘Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety’ The order directs Attorney General Jeff Sessions to create a task force that would propose new legislation to reduce crime, highlighting drug trafficking, illegal immigration and violent crime. The task force will submit yearly reports to the president. Throughout the campaign, Trump […]
2/9/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/CORRUPTION/CRIME/DHS/DNI/DRUGS/SECRETARY OF STATE/TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS: “By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Purpose. Transnational criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations, including transnational drug cartels, have spread throughout the Nation, threatening the safety of the […]