Almirall, formerly named Aqua Pharmaceuticals, agreed to pay $3.5 million to resolve allegations that it paid physicians kickbacks to boost prescriptions, the U.S. Justice Department announced May 29.

Medical device and drug recalls, whether voluntary or forced by the FDA, ensure patient safety.

The FDA approved Novartis' $2.1 million gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy last week — making it the world's most expensive drug. However, the $2.1 drug price record won't last long, according to an opinion piece on Bloomberg.

Johnson & Johnson will cut 61 jobs at its site in New Brunswick, N.J., according to a WARN notice filed with the state.

Heritage Pharmaceuticals issued a recall for two injectable drugs after microbial growth was detected in an unreleased lot of both products, according to a recall notice on the FDA's website.

Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, serves as the director of pharmaceutical services for Dispensary of Hope, a charitable medication distributor.

U.S. spending on pharmaceuticals will increase 2.5 percent to $370.8 billion in 2019, according to a new report by Fitch Solutions Macro Research. Last year, pharmaceutical spending hit $361.6 billion.

Morris & Dickson, a drug distributor based in Shreveport, La., agreed to pay $22 million to settle allegations that it failed to report thousands of suspicious opioid orders, according to CNBC.

Mallinckrodt plans to spin off its specialty generics unit to create two independent, publicly traded companies, the drugmaker said in an update May 28.

The first trial related to the opioid crisis in the U.S. against a drugmaker is set to begin May 28 in Oklahoma.