Monthly Archives: <span>April 2016</span>

IMS: Prescription Drug Spending in U.S. to Hit $400B a Year by 2020

U.S. annual spending on prescription medicines will increase 22 percent over the next five years, climbing as high as $400 billion in 2020, according to a report released by health care information company IMS Health Holdings Inc on Thursday. Those …

Restrictions Proposed for Building in Oregon Flood Plains

Building in flood zones is about to get harder across much of Oregon, due to new federal recommendations. The government published the recommendations, called a biological opinion, in response to a lawsuit from environmental groups. The Audubon Society of Portland, …

Dirty Scopes Have Infected More Than Previously Estimated

At least 300 patients have been sickened by life-threatening infections linked to contaminated medical scopes – more than previously estimated by federal regulators, according to figures released Friday. Between 2010 and 2015 more than 41 hospitals worldwide, most in the …

Quiet New Mexico Underground Radioactive Waste Plant Focuses on Safety

A half mile below the Chihuahuan Desert, the air is still and quiet in the dark passages of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Around 25 employees worked Friday in the underground to improve safety at the New Mexico site and …

All GM Cars to Have Airbags by 2019 Model Year

General Motors Co. said Thursday it will phase out cars without airbags and other safety features after its Chevrolet Sail subcompact flunked a crash test in Latin America. The Latin New Car Assessment Program – an independent testing organization – …

Texas ‘Affluenza’ Teen Sentenced to Nearly 2 Years’ Jail

The Texas teenager who used an “affluenza” defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck must serve nearly two years in jail, a judge ordered Wednesday. Ethan Couch, who turned 19 Monday, was making his first appearance in adult court. Initially, state …

Study Finds U.S. Domestic Security Worse Than France, Belgium

The U.S. is less capable of managing security issues within its borders than 32 other nations, including France and Belgium, according to a new global ranking. Singapore is the most capable of maintaining domestic security in the world, while Nigeria …

Senator Wants Medtronic, FDA to Release Bone Graft Injury Data

U.S. Senator Al Franken asked federal regulators and Medtronic Inc for detailed information about injuries associated with the company’s bone graft Infuse following a newspaper report that Medtronic hid thousands of adverse events linked to the product. The Minneapolis Star …

Appeals Court Upholds $1B NFL Concussion Settlement

A federal appeals court has upheld an estimated $1 billion plan by the NFL to settle thousands of concussion lawsuits filed by former players, potentially ending a troubled chapter in league history. The decision released Monday comes nearly a year …

Insurers, States Work to Combat Distracted Driving

Drivers are faced with a number of distractions today. Consider that more than 587,000 people driving at any given time are holding cell phones, according to a National Occupant Protection Use Survey conducted in 2014. According to Distraction.gov, a joint …