Trending News Today: Opioid Overdose Drug Offered at Discounted Price

The FDA has more than 700 job openings in its drug approval department due to issues retaining staff. These vacancies are a result of new positions being created, and pharmaceutical companies have offered staff members nearly twice as much pay, Kaiser Health News reported. A spokeswoman from the FDA has said that they have had difficulties in filling the vacancies, but are making efforts to resolve the issue.

Anthem recently announced that they may not be participating in as many Affordable Care Act exchanges in 2018. The insurer said that their third quarter losses for 2016 were less than expected, and they anticipate making a slight profit in 2017, according to The New York Times. However, their participation in 2018’s health exchanges is dependent on the profit seen next year.

New York’s Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has recently renewed the state’s deal with drug manufacturer Amphastar Pharmaceuticals to obtain naloxone at a discounted price. This extension would provide naloxone to state agencies and municipalities at a $6 rebate discount, which is about 20% off the retail price. Since the original deal was negotiated in 2015, more than 200 state municipalities have saved over $1.6 million, Times Union reported.