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• China arrests nearly 2,000 in fake drug crackdown

  August 6, 2012 1:51 AM

  BEIJING (AP) - China's Ministry of Public Security says it has detained nearly 2,000 people in a nationwide crackdown on counterfeit drugs, including some to treat cancer. It said in a statement on its website Sunday that it also seized about $180 million worth of fake medicine and false trademark... more »

• FDA panel backs first pill to block HIV infection

  May 10, 2012 8:53 PM

  SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) - The first drug shown to prevent HIV infection won the endorsement of a panel of federal advisers Thursday, clearing the way for a landmark approval in the 30-year fight against the virus that causes AIDS. In a series of votes, a Food and Drug Administration... more »

• 8.5 TONS of prescription drugs collected in drug take back program

  May 4, 2012 6:32 AM

  DENVER (AP) - More than eight-and-a-half tons of prescription drugs were collected in Colorado during the Drug Enforcement Administration's drug take-back event. The DEA this week said 17,646 pounds of prescription drugs were collected at drop-off points across the state during the event on Saturday. In Montana, the DEA collected... more »

• Johnson & Johnson fined $1.1B in Risperdal case

  April 11, 2012 8:36 PM

  LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) - An Arkansas judge fined Johnson & Johnson and a subsidiary more than $1.1 billion Wednesday for downplaying and concealing risks associated with the antipsychotic drug Risperdal, a ruling that could affect dozens of pending lawsuits over the drug. Circuit Judge Tim Fox ruled that Janssen... more »

• More Cadets being investigated for drug use

  March 23, 2012 6:16 AM

  AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) - An Air Force Academy official says about 30 cadets are suspected of using banned substances, which is double the number of cadets the school said it was investigating in January. Academy spokesman Lt. Col. John Bryan says the inquiry involves substances other than alcohol,... more »

• Calif. doctor accused of murder in drug overdoses

  March 1, 2012 5:36 PM

  AP Special Correspondent (AP) - A California doctor under investigation for overprescribing drugs has been charged with murder in the deaths of three of her patients. Dr. Hsui-Ying "Lisa" Tseng was arrested Thursday after a lengthy probe which involved undercover work by drug enforcement agents who posed as patients to... more »

• US report: HIV rate down in needle drug users

  March 1, 2012 1:26 PM

  ATLANTA (AP) - There's some good news from the AIDS front: Fewer needle drug users are testing positive for HIV. U.S. health officials say the rate has dropped by half since the 1990s. The decline may be related to a growth in needle exchange programs. More than 10,000 drug users... more »

• Overdose immunity bill facing trouble

  March 1, 2012 6:30 AM

  DENVER (AP) - Colorado is debating a proposal to encourage drug users to report overdoses. A bill giving limited criminal immunity to people who report overdoses faces another test Thursday in the Colorado Legislature. Illinois and Washington state already have so-called "911 Good Samaritan" laws giving limited immunity to overdose... more »

• Traffic stop leads to big cocaine bust

  October 2, 2011 11:57 AM

  A routine traffic stop in Colorado Springs turned into a major cocaine bust. Springs police stopped a Honda mini-van on I-25 near the North Academy exit Saturday. They became suspicious and searched the vehicle and found just over two and a half pounds of the drug. Luis Perez, 57,... more »

• Family sues drug company over poisoning

  August 5, 2011 8:55 AM

  PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Relatives of a New Jersey man who authorities say was fatally poisoned by his estranged wife are suing the woman's employer and the hospital that treated him. The family alleges in their civil wrongful-death complaint that Xiaoye Wang's death could have been avoided if Bristol-Myers Squibb... more »

• Mexican drug ring busted

  April 21, 2011 12:15 AM

  A major drug ring operating in Southern Colorado has been taken down. On Wednesday Federal investigators gave details into the large scale drug bust named "Operation Closing Time". "We arrested totally throughout the 14 month investigation, 36 individuals." explains Matt Barden with the DEA's office in Colorado Springs. Investigators... more »

• Air Force Cadets expelled for using "spice"

  January 28, 2011 10:59 PM

  Five U.S. Air Force Academy Cadets have been kicked out of the Academy for using the herbal drug called "spice." Twenty-five other cadets are under investigation, also accused of using spice. Spice, also called K2, black diamond, or fake pot is legal, but it violates a general order... more »

• Police still searching for suspect in triple shooting

  January 7, 2011 10:29 AM

  Pueblo police continue looking for a man who shot three teens on Pueblo's northside Thursday night. Marco Morales, 18, was killed. The two other teens are recovering in the hospital. The shooting happened shortly after 9 p.m Thursday in a field near Outlook Blvd. and Buchanan Dr. According... more »

• Schools, government crack down on fake pot

  November 29, 2010 5:48 PM

  The Drug Enforcement Administration and local schools are cracking down on fake pot products such as "K2", "Mr. Smiley", "Spice" and "Chronic". They're made from synthetic marijuana and are marketed as incense. However, the DEA has temporarily banned these products, which means they can't be sold in stores and you... more »

• Fugitive sentenced in 1995 case

  November 27, 2010 12:37 PM

  DENVER (AP) - A former Colorado Springs man and a longtime fugitive has been sentenced to about 14 years in federal prison for drug and weapons crimes - and failure to show up for his sentencing in 1995. The U.S. attorney's office for Colorado says 49-year-old Ronald Thrasher was... more »

• Young people trying to get high off of Nutmeg

  November 11, 2010 2:27 PM

  What would grandma say? The same nutmeg you sprinkle on eggnog, or use in a pie recipe--is being used by some young people as a drug. Doctors say two to seven table spoons of nutmeg can cause people to hallucinate. But what some curious kids don't realize, it can also... more »

• Wife in border lake shooting back in Colo.

  October 24, 2010 8:23 AM

  LA SALLE, Colo. (AP) - The wife of a man believed gunned down as he jet skied along the Mexico border says she intends to speak out about the violence plaguing that region. Tiffany Hartley spoke to reporters after arriving back in La Salle Saturday evening. She told... more »

• First ever human study on stem cell treatment underway

  October 12, 2010 8:18 AM

  Geron Corp. has begun testing an embryonic stem-cell treatment on a patient with spinal cord injuries, marking the first time such a drug has been used on a human. The company says it has enrolled the first patient in the early stage study, which will look at the safety... more »

• George Michael released from jail after 4 weeks

  October 11, 2010 11:27 AM

  George Michael has regained his freedom. The wayward singer was released from jail Monday after serving almost four weeks for driving under the influence of drugs. Michael thanked those who had supported him while he was jailed and said outside his north London home: "I just want to start... more »

• Postal workers busted in drug trafficking ring

  September 29, 2010 11:10 AM

  Seven U.S. Postal Service workers in Puerto Rico have been indicted on charges they shipped thousands of parcels of heroin, cocaine and marijuana through the mail. The Drug Enforcement Administration says they took advantage of their jobs to ship drugs between Puerto Rico, Texas, California and Arizona. Once... more »

• Suspect arrested in shooting on CSU campus

  September 24, 2010 4:22 PM

  Police have arrested a man suspected of shooting and wounding another man in a parking lot at Colorado State University's Fort Collins campus. CSU Police say Shameek Jamal Bernard Lewis, 20, of Aurora was arrested at a Fort Collins motel early Friday on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder and... more »

• Lindsay Lohan ordered to jail over failed drug test

  September 24, 2010 12:23 PM

  Actress Lindsay Lohan is headed back to jail after a failed drug test. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elden S. Fox ordered the actress jailed during a court hearing Friday. Her next court appearance was set for Oct. 22. Fox did not set bail and Lohan will be... more »

• Drug disposal program set for Saturday

  September 23, 2010 6:58 PM

  On Saturday, September 25, the Drug Enforcement Agency is coordinating a one-day Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative. This is a nationwide event and will provide an opportunity for the public to dispose of medications. The event will happen from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The DEA will provide the... more »

• Arrest warrant issued for Lindsay Lohan

  September 20, 2010 3:47 PM

  A Beverly Hills judge has issued an arrest warrant for Lindsay Lohan after the actress failed a drug test. She has been ordered to appear in court Friday and is now facing possible jail time for violating her probation. Officials at Los Angeles County Superior Court say a bench... more »

• Genetically engineered salmon now on FDA's plate

  September 20, 2010 6:23 AM

  The Food and Drug Administration is starting two days of hearings on whether genetically engineered salmon should be sold in a store near you. If the answer is yes, this type of salmon could become the first genetically engineered animal approved for human consumption. The FDA already has said... more »

• FDA panel split on withdrawing diet pill Meridia

  September 16, 2010 10:51 AM

  Federal health advisers are split over whether to withdraw the diet pill Meridia due to evidence that it increases heart attack and stroke risks, worrisome signs that led European regulators to ban the drug earlier this year. A panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers voted 8-8 on whether... more »

• Illegal drug use on rise

  September 16, 2010 8:53 AM

  Illegal drug use is at the highest level in nearly a decade. The high rate last year was fueled by a sharp increase in marijuana use and a surge in ecstasy and methamphetamine abuse. The government report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found marijuana... more »

• FDA warns of fatal side effect with MRI imaging drugs

  September 10, 2010 12:05 PM

  U.S. government health regulators are warning doctors that a class of injectable drugs used in MRI medical imaging scans can cause a rare and sometimes fatal condition in patients with kidney disease. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it is adding its strongest warning label to imaging agents... more »

• Mexican drug kingpin gets 27 years in Ariz. prison

  September 3, 2010 6:31 PM

  A Mexican man who prosecutors call the leader of a group that smuggled tons of marijuana into the U.S. has been sentenced to 27 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $4 million to the American government. Carlos Molinares Nunez, also known as "Calinche" was charged in November 2006. Authorities... more »

• Witness recants statements in Anna Nicole case

  September 3, 2010 4:53 PM

  A witness in the Anna Nicole Smith drug conspiracy trial has recanted statements critical of the former model's lawyer-boyfriend Howard K. Stern, a defendant in the case. Ford Shelley testified Friday in Los Angeles that he never saw Smith abuse drugs, never saw Stern force medication on her, and believes... more »

• Woman robbed in her own home overnight

  August 18, 2010 9:47 AM

  A man robbed a woman in her own home early Wednesday morning, as her two children were in another room. Colorado Springs Police report that a woman was watching TV in her living room just after 12:30 this morning, when a man came in and demanded, "Where are your... more »

• Doctor says teens getting high off of poisonous plant

  August 12, 2010 5:57 PM

  Doctors want to warn parents about a poisonous plant teens are eating to get high. It's called Datura stramonium, but it's better known as jimson weed. In Pueblo, there have been a few cases where kids ate the plant and ended up in the emergency room. "Most parents don't know... more »

• Researchers make huge asthma discovery

  July 23, 2010 9:45 AM

  There is new hope for millions of asthma sufferers. Researchers are on the verge of a major breakthrough that could make inhalers a thing of the past. Dr. David Farrar and his research team at the University of Texas Southwestern discovered that Interferon, an immune system protein already... more »

• Police, parents worry about kids using digital drugs

  July 21, 2010 6:36 PM

  A new internet craze could be leading your children down a dangerous path. It's called i-dosing. Kids are downloading music files, that claim to make them feel like they're high. Anyone can download these audio files to their iPod or MP3 player. The makers say it's a safe and legal... more »

• Diabetes pill controversy shows rift in FDA ranks

  July 13, 2010 4:02 PM

  The diabetes pill Avandia has been used by millions of patients and racked up billions in sales in more than a decade on the market. This week the Food and Drug Administration is trying to answer a seemingly simple question: Does it cause heart attacks? It's the type of... more »

• NY court upholds use of drug-sniffing dogs

  June 8, 2010 5:21 PM

  New York's top court says police can use drug-detecting dogs to check vehicles stopped for traffic violations when they suspect there's other criminal activity of some sort. The Court of Appeals, divided 4-3, upheld the convictions of 2 men arrested in separate 2007 traffic stops. Cocaine was detected in... more »

• US drug war has met none of its goals

  May 14, 2010 8:14 AM

  Forty years and $1 trillion later, the U.S. drug czar says the war on drugs hasn't been successful. Gil Kerlikowske says that, if anything, the concern about drugs and drug problems has "magnified, intensified." President Barack Obama this week announced a new policy to treat drug use as... more »

• Pueblo County announces prescription drug discount

  April 30, 2010 7:12 PM

  Pueblo County has announced a prescription discount card program to help residents cope with the high price of prescriptions. Pueblo County has signed a contract to offer free prescription discount cards available from the National Association of Counties that offers average savings of 22 percent off the retail price of... more »

• FDA approves new drug for prostate cancer

  April 29, 2010 3:51 PM

  A first-of-a-kind prostate cancer treatment that uses the body's immune system to fight the disease received federal approval Thursday, offering an important alternative to more intensive treatments like chemotherapy. Dendreon Corp.'s Provenge vaccine trains the immune system to fight tumors. It's called a "vaccine" even though it treats disease... more »

• FDA warns Pfizer for lax oversight of drug study

  April 20, 2010 1:19 PM

  Federal regulators say the drugmaker Pfizer has failed to correct problems with its testing procedures that resulted in overdoses for more than two dozen patients during a company trial. The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter saying Pfizer is not properly monitoring physicians testing an experimental... more »

• DEA would rather stay out of medical marijuana enforcement

  April 6, 2010 3:00 PM

  Denver's top Drug Enforcement Administration agent says he'd rather his agents focus on international drug rings than medical marijuana growers. Denver DEA Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Sweetin in an interview with The Denver Post editorial board Monday says that aggravating factors must be involved before his agents raid... more »

• State Department warns of violence threat

  March 14, 2010 12:21 PM

  The State Department is authorizing U.S. government employees at six U.S. consulates in northern Mexico to send their family members out of the area because of concerns about rising drug-related violence. The department says the family members are authorized to leave until April 12. The six consulates are in the... more »

• 24 die in cartel-related violence near Acapulco

  March 14, 2010 11:44 AM

  Thirteen people were killed in and around the Mexican beach resort of Acapulco, with four victims found beheaded, security officials said. Another gunbattle in the state left 11 people dead. Five of those killed were police officers whose night-time patrol was ambushed by gunmen early Saturday in Tuncingo, a... more »

• Drug law change considered

  February 23, 2010 6:23 PM

  Drug users could end up spending less time behind bars to free up more money for treatment under an overhaul of the state's drug laws being pushed by bipartisan group of lawmakers. The bill introduced Tuesday also has the support of prosecutors, public defenders and Attorney General John Suthers.... more »

• FDA flags heart risk with HIV drug combination

  February 23, 2010 12:15 PM

  The Food and Drug Administration is warning about potential heart risks of combining two anti-HIV drugs. The agency says preliminary data suggest Roche's Invirase and Abbott Laboratories' Norvir can effect the electrical activity of the heart when used together. The FDA is reviewing data submitted by Roche on heart activity... more »

• Lawmakers propose changes to drug sentencing

  February 23, 2010 9:38 AM

  Drug users could end up getting treatment instead of long prison sentences under legislation picking up bipartisan support at the Capitol. Republican Rep. Mark Waller of Colorado Springs plans to introduce a bill this week that would change the standard for when someone is prosecuted as a drug user as... more »

• FDA warning against over-use of certain asthma drugs

  February 21, 2010 10:24 AM

  The food and drug administration is warning against over-use of certain asthma drugs. The medications are in the class of long-acting beta agonists, or LABA's. the FDA says the drugs should be used for the shortest time possible to control asthma. Officials say research has shown the medications may... more »

• FDA warning against over-use of certain asthma drugs

  February 21, 2010 10:18 AM

  The food and drug administration is warning against over-use of certain asthma drugs. The medications are in the class of long-acting beta agonists, or LABA's. the FDA says the drugs should be used for the shortest time possible to control asthma. Officials say research has shown the medications may... more »

• Prescription drug drop off planned

  February 17, 2010 7:17 PM

  The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office, The Pueblo Police Department D.A.R.E. Units and the Pueblo City/County Health Department, will sponsor a prescription drug disposal event later this month. According to the Sheriff's Office, 1 in 3 teens report having a close friend who uses prescription drugs to get high. Some... more »

• Drug Enforcement Agency to investigate CU Dental School

  February 2, 2010 11:25 AM

  Federal investigators plan to look into the distribution of controlled substances at the University of Colorado dental school. The Drug Enforcement Agency will investigate the school's practice of allowing unlicensed residents to write prescriptions using faculty members' credentials. The Denver Post discovered that residents could procure sedation drugs... more »

• Ohio executes inmate with 1-drug lethal injection

  December 8, 2009 11:06 AM

  Ohio has executed a convicted killer through the first U.S. lethal injection using a single drug, a longer but supposedly less painful method than previous executions with three drugs. Kenneth Biros was pronounced dead at 11:47 Tuesday, about 43 minutes minutes after he entered the death house at the Southern... more »

• Drug used to help asthma in pregnant women could increase Autism

  December 2, 2009 11:59 AM

  Some commonly-prescribed medications for pregnant women might increase the risk for autism-related disorders in children. The drugs are called "Beta 2 Adreneric" agonists. tThey are used to help control asthma in pregnant women or to stop pre-term labor. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University school of medicine say there... more »

• Police say alcohol most common date rape drug

  November 18, 2009 5:02 PM

  Pueblo police say the most dangerous date rape drug on the market, is something you can get your hands on at any bar: alcohol. "Statistically 70% of victims and 90% of suspects have alcohol in their system, when there is a sexual assault," said Shelli Vahlbusch, a detective with the... more »

• Cholesterol-lowering drug found to lower risk of blood clots

  November 4, 2009 9:47 AM

  There's new information about the popular cholesterol-lowering drugs called Statins out of the American College of Chest Physicians annual meeting. One study finds taking Statins significantly lowers the risk for blood clots among patients with atherosclerosis, or hardened arteries. However, a second study finds Statins may have a negative... more »

• Heparin's safety improved, FDA says

  October 7, 2009 12:12 PM

  The Food and Drug Administration is alerting doctors that a widely used blood thinner has been reformulated to improve its safety, though the change could open the door to dosing errors. The FDA said Thursday new heparin vials scheduled to begin shipping next week will be 10 percent less... more »

• Cops caught playing video game during raid

  September 23, 2009 10:59 AM

  A Florida sheriff says he is embarrassed that investigators from a narcotics task force were caught on camera playing a video game while searching a convicted drug dealer's house. Video obtained by WFLA-TV in Tampa shows several officers enthusiastically playing a Nintendo Wii bowling game after the task force entered... more »

• GlaxoSmithKline changes doctor training policy

  September 21, 2009 11:03 AM

  British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC is making major changes in its spending on training programs for doctors, fees paid to doctors for consulting, and even political contributions. The changes include immediate bans on all corporate political contributions and on using commercial medical education and communication companies to run programs teaching doctors... more »

• Forest Service apologizes to Hispanic campers

  September 15, 2009 12:46 PM

  The U.S. Forest Service has apologized for suggesting that campers who eat tortillas, drink Tecate beer and play Spanish music may be armed marijuana growers, calling it "regrettable" and "insensitive." orest Service officials apologized to Colorado Hispanic leaders in a meeting two weeks ago and released a written apology this... more »