Legislation proposing transparency and oversight of the 340B drug discount program was passed May 17 by the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health. The bill, H.R. 3290, will now advance to the full Energy and Commerce Committee.

The shortage of several generic forms of chemotherapy drugs used to treat breast, ovarian, lung and bladder cancers, among others, have risen to the level of what amounts to a "public health emergency," Amanda Fader, MD, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a president-elect of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, said in a May 17 New York Times report. 

 Tallahassee (Fla.) Memorial Hospital is going through emergency supplies amid a national drug shortage to continue chemotherapy treatments for cancer patients, according to a May 15 report from WFSU. 

So far in May, 10 more drugs are in short supply, according to the FDA and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Demand for more convenient and affordable healthcare options is giving rise to pharmacies becoming more trusted as a first point of care than ever by Americans — especially those in younger generations, according to a survey commissioned by Wolters Kluwer. 

Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, N.Y., is using drones to deliver medications between its outpatient pharmacy and Upstate Community Hospital campus, the organization said May 16.

The corruption of the FDA's scientific culture is driving the deterioration of safety and effectiveness standards, David Ross, MD, associate clinical professor of medicine at Washington, D.C.-based George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, wrote in an opinion piece for The BMJ on May 15.

CVS Pharmacy has agreed to pay $6.15 million to resolve allegations that the company in some instances failed to follow prescription pricing procedures set by Massachusetts' workers' compensation insurance program.

The Supreme Court declined to hear Teva Pharmaceuticals USA's challenge to a $235 million award to GlaxoSmithKline in a patent dispute over a generic heart drug.

The Federal Trade Commission has filed an injuction in federal court seeking to block Amgen's acquisition of fellow drugmaker Horizon Therapeutics. 

Rising popularity of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic is making it more difficult to find, leaving some patients to turn to unauthorized alternatives, The New York Times reported May 16. 

A universal flu vaccine that protects against all known strains of the virus — both seasonal and pandemic — is now undergoing a phase 1 trial at Duke University in Durham, N.C. 

Drugmaker Novartis announced 10 members to its newly formed Sandoz board of directors May 15 ahead of its previously announced biosimilar spinoff. The Sandoz spinoff is an effort the company is making to keep a competitive pace with rising costs of brand name drugs. 

The FDA on May 12 approved Astellas' Veozah — a once-a-day pill meant to treat hot flashes associated with menopause. 

Illinois' top public health leader issued a standing order May 11, allowing pharmacists in the state to dispense hormonal contraception.

Eisai and Biogen's new Alzheimer's drug Leqembi could cost Medicare an estimated $2 billion to $5 billion annually, according to a study published May 11 in JAMA Internal Medicine. 

HHS officially extended COVID-19-era allowances for pharmacists through Dec. 31, 2024, after the agency said it planned to do so. 

As the American Medical Association pushes back on efforts to expand pharmacists' scopes of practice and lawmakers reintroduce bills aimed at increasing pharmacist roles, four leaders at hospitals and health systems weighed in on the debate. 

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists said May 10 that quality issues at drug manufacturing sites are triggering more drug shortages. 

After five senators reintroduced a bill that looks to expand pharmacists' scope of practice and increase Medicare reimbursement for those extra services, pharmacist organizations applauded the proposed legislation.