Pharmaceutical sciences
Obama administration drops objection to Plan B ruling
President Barack Obama’s government has dropped its opposition to a court decision that allows the Plan B emergency contraceptive to be bought over-the-counter by women of any age. Proponents had argued the pill was safe and a useful safety net against unwanted pregnancy.
Judge rules Plan B must be available to all without a prescription
A federal judge handed a victory to women’s health advocates, saying that the federal government erred when it overruled a panel of scientists who recommended that Plan B One-Step be made available to women of all ages. He gave the government 30 days to change its policies.
New book tells story of ‘medication generation’ — 20-something with years on prescription drugs
They’ve been called the “medication generation,” twenty-somethings who started taking psychiatric drugs when they were just kids. In her new book, author Kaitlin Bell Barnett tells the stories of five young people, now adults, who were medicated as children.
FDA, at the behest of HHS, denies permission to sell Plan B in front of the counter
The FDA had been making plans to allow TEVA Pharmaceuticals to sell its Plan B contraceptive in front of the pharmacy counter to women of any age. But Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius intervened at the last minute to prevent it.
Governors ask feds to reclassify marijuana as medicine; government balks
Two governors want the federal government to “down-schedule” marijuana as a drug with approved medical uses. But the Health and Human Services administration is resisting. Opponents of down-scheduling say there are marijuana-based medications already on the market that are safe and effective.