Truthdigger of the Week: Covered California

BLANK Jul 26, 2015 A cap on the prices of prescribed medications should have been a feature of Obamacare. It wasn't, so a California agency has stepped in to limit the amount patients in California can be charged for drugs. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Nader’s 10 Reasons That the TPP Is Not a ‘Progressive’ Trade Agreement

By Ralph Nader Jun 9, 2015 "We have an opportunity to set the most progressive trade agreement in our nation's history," reads BarackObama.com, the website of the president's "Organizing for Action" campaign. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Big Pharma Is Robbing Us Blind and We’re Letting It Happen

Robert Reich / Truthdig Oct 6, 2014 America spends a fortune on drugs, more per person than any other nation on earth, even though Americans are no healthier than the people of other advanced nations. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Did Pharmaceutical Firms Exploit Pancreas Problems to Increase Profits?

BLANK May 8, 2014 A sharp reduction in availability and a $350 million per year spike in the cost of a particular class of drugs begs the question of whether prescription drug companies increased their profits by jacking up prices in a created scarcity. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Perils of Problematic Prescribing: A Double Dose of Warnings

Staff / Truthdig Mar 8, 2014 Two new reports from the CDC show the dangers of overprescribing narcotics and antibiotics. Is there a way for doctors and consumers to make better decisions? Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Late Chemo: Expensive and Unnecessarily Painful

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Mar 7, 2014 Chemotherapy administered in the last months of life -- which offers a boon to profit-seeking drug companies (one month's supply can cost $10,000 or more) -- significantly increased the odds that a cancer patient would require intensive treatment in the last week of life, late referral to hospice care, and death away from their preferred place, an investigation has shown. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Medical Marijuana

Steve Sack, Cagle Cartoons, The Minneapolis Star Tribune Mar 6, 2014 Dig deeper

Medicare Wants to Ban Doctors Guilty of ‘Abusive’ Prescribing, but What Exactly Does That Mean?

Staff / Truthdig Jan 15, 2014 When the agency that runs Medicare announced last week that it would take action against doctors who prescribe abusively in its massive drug program -- perhaps banning them -- it raised an interesting question. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Rx Painkiller Deaths Rising Faster in Women Than Men

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jul 3, 2013 The rate of women dying from overdoses on prescription painkillers has increased one and a half times the rise for men -- a 415 percent change among females between 1999 and 2010, compared with 265 percent among males -- U.S. government researchers say. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Study: Prescription Sleeping Pills May Cause Cancer, Death

Staff / Truthdig Feb 29, 2012 Having trouble catching enough shut-eye? Consider this before reaching for the Ambien: According to a new study published in BMJ Open, the potential risks of popping pills to help you sleep may far outweigh the benefits. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Antidepressant Nation Revisited

Staff / Truthdig Jul 31, 2011 Dr. Marcia Angell has drawn harsh criticism from members of the psychiatric community for her essay doubting the efficacy of antidepressants, published in The New York Review of Books last month. (more) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Health Bill Survives House Committee Vote

Staff / Truthdig Aug 1, 2009 The good news, at least for those hoping for progress on the health care reform front, is that the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the latest version of a bill aimed at revamping the nation's flagging health care system. The bad news: Now that Congress is headed for a monthlong vacation, we'll have a whole new round of squabbling to look forward to in September. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )