Category Archives: Drugs

Pakistani women defy threats to run for parliament Most women in the tribal Pakistani regions are uneducated, rarely work outside the home and wear long, flowing clothes that cover most of their skin when the... By: AlJazeeraEnglish … Continue reading →

There aren't coupons for prescription drugs, but Costco (COST) is probably wishing it could print up some "$749 off" inserts right about now. Consumer Reports went shopping at 200 pharmacies across the country for a month's supply of five prescription drugs that just went generic: Actos for diabetes, Lexapro for depression, Singulair for asthma, Plavix for blood thinning, and Lipitor for high cholesterol. What they found was a $749 difference -- that's 447% -- between the $916 price tagat CVS (CVS) and the $167 that Costco charged for the same five drugs. For generic Lipitor alone CVS charged $150to Costco's $17. The generic Lexapro found at CVS for $126 could be had at Costco for $7. Why such a big difference? Because CVS, Rite Aid (RAD) and Walgreen (WAG) draw most of their profits from the pharmacy, while Costco,Sam's Club and other discount stores consider their pharmacies throw-ins that help bulk up foot traffic. CVS, in particular, also factors in the cost of drive-through windows, automated prescription refill systems, prescription consultation and 24-hour pharmacies that Costco's Monday-Saturday servicelacks. Go here to read the rest: Why Costco drugs so cheap … Continue reading →

A corrupt detective who stole 1m worth of drugs seized from criminals and sold them back onto the streets has been jailed for 23 years. West Yorkshire Police Detective Constable Nicholas McFadden, 38, helped himself to heroin, cocaine and cannabis by exploiting "slack" procedures while working at secret evidence stores. He and his 41-year-old brother Simon McFadden, who was sentenced to a 16-year prison term, then conspired to sell the drugs back to underworld contacts. The drug trafficking made them at least 600,000, funding an extravagant lifestyle. The two brothers splashed out on exotic holidays, designer clothing, expensive jewellery and pricey artwork, the jurors in the five-week trial heard. The judge sentencing the duo at Leeds Crown Court said they were motivated by "insatiable greed" and had amassed "so much money that they simply didn't know how to spend it". When police raided Nicholas McFadden's family home in Castleford, West Yorkshire, they found almost 160,000 in banknotes stuffed into sacks in his garage and 20,000 hidden around his house. They also discovered 6,000 in his performance car. In total, Nicholas McFadden on his arrest had 430,000 that could not be traced to legitimate sources. Simon McFadden had 160,000 which could … Continue reading →

Lipitor and other statin drugs are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States. Lipitor and other statin drugs are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States. With one-quarter of adults over age 45 taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, it figures that more than a few people would have trouble sticking with the program. More than a few, actually. A big new study of statin use in the real world found that 17 percent of patients taking the pills reported side effects, including muscle pain, nausea, and problems with their liver or nervous system. That's a lot higher than the 5 to 10 percent reported in the randomized controlled trials that provided evidence for regulatory approval of the medicines. This study, which was published in Annals of Internal Medicine, looked at more than 100,000 people who'd been prescribed statins from 2000 through 2008 at two academic medical centers. About two-thirds of people with side effects quit taking statins. All in all, half of all the people who been prescribed the drugs quit them at last temporarily. Twenty percent quit for more than a year. It's tough to get people to take medicine to reduce the odds … Continue reading →

AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou. Photo: Getty Images AFL boss Andrew Demetriou is directly warning players of the dangers of dabbling in drugs that are not approved for human use, in addition to the established bogies of performance-enhancing, illicit and prescription drugs. Demetriou, who started briefing players and staff from the 18 clubs on the state of the game this week, has already told players from two clubs about the dangers of four different types of drugs - including those not approved for human use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in this country. In briefing players at all clubs about the drugs-in-sport issue, Demetriou's message is that players who are involved in illegal activities ''will be caught'' because of the greater investigative powers of law enforcement agencies such as the Australian Crime Commission. While the Essendon scandal has centred on the question of whether the Bombers took substances that violate the World Anti-Doping Agency code, the issue of substances not approved for human use has been put on the agenda by rugby league club Cronulla, which is alleged to have used equine substances without TGA approval for humans. Advertisement Demetriou said his message to the players and staff at the clubs … Continue reading →

4 April 2013 Last updated at 11:13 ET A corrupt detective who stole massive amounts of seized drugs and conspired to sell them back on to the streets has been jailed for 23 years. Nicholas McFadden 38, of Church Avenue, Leeds, stole thousands of pounds of class A drugs from evidence stores, Leeds Crown Court heard. His brother, Simon McFadden, 41, of Darfield Place, Harehills, was jailed for 16 years for conspiring to supply. Officers said Nicholas McFadden "was a criminal purporting to be an officer". McFadden stole enormous amounts of seized drugs and conspired to sell them back on to the streets with his brother, making them at least 600,000, the court heard. He helped himself to more than 1m of heroin, cocaine and cannabis by exploiting "slack" procedures while working at secret evidence stores. He and his brother, Simon McFadden, a debt collector, conspired to sell the drugs back to underworld contacts. A judge sentencing the two men at Leeds Crown Court said both were motivated by one factor - an "insatiable greed" that made them "so much money that they simply did not know how to spend it", but ultimately led to their downfall. The brothers lived … Continue reading →

NEW YORK (AP) -- A new report finds that prices for prescription drugs can vary greatly, meaning people could be overpaying if they don't do their homework. Consumers Reports says it compared drug prices for five blockbuster drugs that recently went generic and found that Costco offered the lowest prices overall and CVS charged the highest. The group said its "secret shoppers" called more than 200 pharmacies in the U.S. to get retail prices, which is the amount people pay without insurance, for a month's supply of five drugs Actos, for diabetes; Lexapro, an antidepressant; Lipitor, for high cholesterol; Plavix, a blood thinner; and Singulair, for asthma. The differences could be significant. For example a month's supply of the generic version of Lipitor cost $17 at CostCo but was $150 at CVS. A month's supply of generic Lexapro was $7 at CostCo and $126 at CVS. A representative for CVS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Consumer Reports noted that prices varied greatly at local, independent pharmacies, but that such outlets could have competitive prices as well. The broader differences in price are partly because retailers have varying business models, according to Consumer Reports. For example, big-box … Continue reading →

Chandigarh, April 3 (IANS) The Punjab Police Wednesday arrested boxer Ram Singh in connection with the recent recovery of huge quantity of heroin and other drugs worth nearly Rs.500 crore in the state. Police had, last month, busted an international drugs racket operating from the state. Ram Singh is a fellow boxer and former room-mate of Olympic bronze medal winner and star boxer Vijender Singh. Police earlier claimed, based on Ram Singh's statements, that he and Vijender had consumed heroin five and 12 times respectively in recent months (December 2012 to February 2013). The union sports ministry Monday asked the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to carry out a test on Vijender following the latest drugs controversy around him. The blood and urine tests were conducted Wednesday. "The Fatehgarh Sahib police today arrested boxer Ram Singh in the drugs case already registered against international smugglers Anoop Singh and others. He is the 16th accused who has been arrested in this case," a Punjab police spokesman said here Wednesday evening. Police investigators said Ram Singh, who had been questioned several times by them in the drugs case, was arrested after huge quantities of lifestyle drugs and raw material for these drugs were … Continue reading →

At least when it comes to marijuana, the war on drugs is over. Two states have passed marijuana legalization laws that fly in the face of national drug policy. Polling on the issue shows a rejection of prohibition. The opinions of law enforcement commanders has begun to shift. For some who want to cut the budget, the drug war is looking like a good place to start. Now, for the first time, when a marijuana lobbyist calls a member of Congress, they get asked for money, not hung up on,Allen St. Pierre, the executive director of NORMLtold Business Insider. And, as St. Pierre was proud to point out, the man in the White House personally invented a new way to smoke marijuana in high school. Things are changing. In February, Obama's "drug czar" Gil Kerlikowski, the d irector of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, admitted several failures on the part of the administration when it came to the War on Drugs. "You can't arrest your way out of this problem," he said to Macleans, a Canadian magazine," The administration has not done a particularly good job of, one, talking about marijuana as a public health issue,and number two, … Continue reading →

Ex-Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick Denied Bond, and More What's News: Pivot is the name of a new TV channel aimed at millennials. CBS and Lions Gate team up on TV Guide Network. A federal judge denies bond for form... By: WSJDigitalNetwork … Continue reading →