The November 2011 expiration of Pfizer's patent on the cholesterol drug Lipitor and Ranbaxy Labs' release of the generic version received significant play in the media, particularly due to the theretofore status of Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) as the drug with the highest sales in the country, $7.7 billion in the United States, according to healthcare analytics firm IMS Health.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for constipation related to use of opioid painkillers made by Sucampo Pharmaceuticals and Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the drug makers said.

Purdue Pharma's patent for OxyContin expired Tuesday, opening up the opioid painkiller to generic competition, but authorities have raised concerns about what they call the potential for generic versions to be abused.

A majority of Americans say chronic pain ranks far below drug addiction as a major health problem, according to a new poll.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug for opioid dependence made by Actavis, the company said.

Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Ark., on Friday introduced the Preventing Abuse of Cough Treatments Act of 2013, which would require retailers to restrict the sale of dextromethorphan-containing products to adults.

The attorneys general of 46 states and two territories are calling on the Food and Drug Administration to make prescription painkillers harder to abuse.

Amneal Pharmaceuticals has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a drug to treat opioid dependence.

The National Community Pharmacists Association submitted comments to the Food and Drug Administration urging the agency to preserve access to hydrocodone-containing pain relief products, as FDA considers moving the medications from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Schedule III list of controlled substances to the more restrictive Schedule II list.

A new study indicated that some parents may not be sufficiently concerned about misuse of narcotic painkillers by children and teenagers.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse last week released the 2012 Monitoring the Future survey, finding that 5.6% of high school seniors, 3% of eighth graders and 4.7% of tenth graders abused over-the-counter cough and cold medicines containing dextromethorphan, bringing the overall average to under 5%.