Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Opioid bills advanced by House Energy and Commerce Committee
The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved dozens of bills that would help the FDA intercept drugs at ports, expand addiction treatment and otherwise combat the opioid epidemic, clearing the way for final passage by early summer. Published May 17, 2018
FDA calls out companies who block generic makers
Moving to implement President Trump's drug-pricing plan, the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday started naming brand-name drug makers who shut out competition by preventing generic makers from obtaining samples of their product. Published May 17, 2018
WHO says Ebola outbreak spread to Congo city
Officials have discovered a case of the deadly Ebola virus in a port city of 1 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, sparking fears Thursday the latest outbreak has broken out of the remote rural areas where it started and could spiral out of control. Published May 17, 2018
Bill aims to stop shipping of opioids through U.S. mail
The House Ways and Means Committee advanced legislation Wednesday to require shippers sending packages into the U.S. to provide more data on what's being sent — part of an effort in Congress to close down a major pipeline delivering illegal synthetic opioids across the country. Published May 16, 2018
Court saga over Obamacare payments reaches end
House GOP leaders declared victory Wednesday in a long-running dispute with the executive branch, noting a new settlement preserves a judge's ruling that President Barack Obama reimbursed insurers unlawfully under his signature health program. Published May 16, 2018
Purdue Pharma sued over OxyContin addiction risks
Six states sued a leading opioid manufacturer Tuesday, saying Purdue Pharma used deceptive tactics to downplay the risks of its painkiller OxyContin and helped fuel the addiction crisis. Published May 15, 2018
Alex Azar, HHS secretary: Trump drug-price plan is boldest ‘in history’
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II on Monday said the idea of directly negotiating drug prices under Medicare did "come up" in talks with President Trump but they settled on free-market solutions to avoid ending up with the kind of drug rationing he said plagues European countries. Published May 14, 2018
Congo approves use of experimental Ebola vaccine, WHO says
The Democratic Republic of Congo has cleared the way for the World Health Organization to deploy a trial vaccine against a deadly outbreak of Ebola in the northwestern part of the country. Published May 14, 2018
Donald Trump vows to end ‘rip-offs’ at the pharmacy counter
President Trump said Friday he will put "American patients first" by speeding cheaper drugs to market, forcing companies to disclose prices and leveraging trade deals to put U.S. consumers on a level playing field with those abroad. Published May 11, 2018
Donald Trump to announce plan to lower prescription drug prices
President Trump is set to propose the most comprehensive plan to tackle prescription drug prices in history, the White House boasted Thursday, setting a high bar for an upcoming address in which Mr. Trump plans to put "American patients first" by cracking down on "freeloading" by foreign nations and requiring Medicare to give a leg up to seniors. Published May 10, 2018
Alex Azar, HHS secretary, fends off shouts of Obamacare ‘sabotage’
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar defended President Trump's push to let Americans ditch Obamacare for cheaper, skimpier plans, saying President Barack Obama kept the same policy for most of his tenure and subsidized customers are unlikely to flee the program's exchanges en masse. Published May 10, 2018
Senate report: Seized fentanyl shipments doubled from 2016 to 2017
The amount of deadly fentanyl seized by U.S. border agents nearly doubled from 2016 to 2017, according to a Senate report that says the opioid epidemic's number-one killer is slipping through ports of entry far too easily. Published May 10, 2018
House panel advances dozens of opioid bills
A House panel advanced a series of opioid bills Wednesday that would link overdose victims to treatment before leaving the emergency room, let hospice workers get rid of unused pills and spur the National Institutes of Health to find non-addictive solutions for pain. Published May 9, 2018
Robert Redfield, CDC director, gets salary cut
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert R. Redfield asked for a pay cut, saying he didn't want his larger-than-usual salary to distract from the important work his agency performs. Published May 8, 2018
Lamar Alexander: Obamacare stabilization effort is dead
Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander says legislative efforts to stabilize the Obamacare markets this year are dead and that it's up to states and the Trump administration to provide relief from rising insurance rates. Published May 8, 2018
Opioid distributors say ‘pill dumping’ won’t happen again
Wholesale opioid distributors say they now are able to recognize and stop suspicious drug orders, telling Congress on Tuesday they're in a position to stop the kinds of mistakes that led to millions of pills flooding West Virginia towns beginning a decade ago. Published May 8, 2018
Democratic Republic of the Congo declares new Ebola outbreak
Congo declared a new Ebola outbreak Tuesday after two samples taken from patients tested positive for the deadly disease that killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa and sparked a worldwide panic earlier this decade. Published May 8, 2018
Md. insurers seek double-digit rate hikes under Obamacare
Maryland health insurers on Monday requested rate hikes on Obamacare plans averaging 30 percent, signaling consumers could be in for another round of sticker shock next year. Published May 7, 2018
Opioids distributors to apologize — and spread blame — for W. Va. ‘pill dumping’
Opioids distributors will admit they didn't act swiftly enough or outline efforts to do better in the future as they're hauled before Congress Tuesday to explain why tiny towns in West Virginia were flooded with millions of opioid bills, fueling the addiction crisis. Published May 7, 2018
Trump admin. rejects Kansas’ bid for lifetime limit on Medicaid
The Trump administration on Monday said it will reject Kansas' push to place a three-year lifetime limit on Medicaid benefits for some enrollees, signaling it is willing to draw the line even as it allows states to revamp their programs in other ways. Published May 7, 2018
