The State of California recently sided with Hawaii and raised the age of buying tobacco products to 21 years old, a new tactic that is designed to reduce the amount of tobacco products that teenagers use.

For those who are no fans of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)  Dr. Kris Held, a Texas ophthalmologist and health care policy analyst, recently said that Obamacare is nothing compared to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) law.

Leaders at AstraZeneca recently gave an update on the group's FluMist Quadrivalent Vaccine for the 2016-17 influenza season in the U.S., stating that regulatory boards have given interim recommendation for FluMist use.

U.S. antitrust regulators are concerned that a proposed $48 billion merger between two of the largest health insurers in the nation -- Anthem Inc. and Cigna Corp. -- will compromise competition in the health care industry.

Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee (E&C), recently announced that the committee has passed a bipartisan legislation that could reform the entire U.S. mental health system.

Leaders with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recently celebrated the approval of the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (HR 2646) with the House Energy & Commerce Committee (E&C).

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) distilled the main points of his letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) addressing concerns about the proposed Aetna-Humana and Anthem-Cigna mergers at a press conference today.

From the very beginning, Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) said he knew that Obamacare would produce much higher premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for both health care and insurance providers.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and Theravance Biopharma Inc. recently entered a global license, development and commercialization agreement for TD-8954, a potential treatment for gastrointestinal motility disorders like enteral feeding intolerance (EFI).

Nancy Brown, the CEO of the American Heart Association (AHA), recently released a statement about the new sugary drink tax that Philadelphia has implemented in the local area.

The FDA recently released a new form and guidance documents for physicians requesting individual expanded access for, or compassionate use of, investigational drugs and biologics.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) recently joined a meeting with the Obama administration at the White House to address the ongoing opioid abuse, overdose and addiction epidemic in the U.S.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recently encouraged improved performance measurement policies in the new payment models that are part of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).

Vifor Pharma, a company under the Galenica group, recently announced that it has broadened its Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agent (ESA) portfolio by granting the commercialization license rights within the U.S. to Retacrit from Pfizer.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved of a priority review of the biologics license application (BLA) for olaratumab, a medicine designed to treat advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS).

The Committee for Medicine Products for Human Use (CHMP) branch of the European Medicines Agency recently granted a positive opinion to broaden the indication of Amgen’s Kyprolis (carfilzomib) treatment for relapsed multiple myeloma.

Shire plc recently announced that the Committee for Medicine Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has given a positive opinion of Revestive (teduglutide) to treat pediatric short bowl syndrome patients.

AstraZeneca recently announced that it has finished its U.S. licensing agreement for the exclusive U.S. rights to Zurampic, also called lesinurad, as well as the fixed-dose lesinurad and allopurinol combination from Ironwood Pharmaceuticals.

Purdue Pharma LP recently announced that it has entered into a patent agreement with Acura Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Egalet Corporation to settle a variety of patent claims.

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. recently announced its decision to withdraw its Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for Kyndrisa (drisapersen) from Europe after holding the May 2016 Committee for Medicines Agency (EMA) meeting.