DRUG

A federal appeals court has preserved access to an abortion drug for now but under tighter rules that would allow the drug only to be dispensed up to seven weeks, not 10, and not by mail.

Local health department officials say the uptick in opioid overdose deaths are consistent with the national trend since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, works to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

U.S. health officials say Merck's experimental COVID-19 pill is effective but they raised questions about its safety during pregnancy.

The first dose of a new FDA-approved drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease was administered by the Michigan Institute of Neurological Disorders (MIND) on Wednesday.

Tiffany Lipkovitch, a Highland Park police detective, is accused of selling drugs on the job while in complete uniform.

The Drug Enforcement Agency and Detroit Police Department are joining Saturday for something they hope will have an impact far greater than any drug bust.

They believe the three taken into custody are the leaders of a ring selling cocaine laced with fentanyl that has killed three people in Warren. Jermaine Tate, 38, has been charged with conducting criminal enterprise, delivery/manufacturing fentanyl and three counts of conspiracy to deliver/manufacture fentanyl. Nathaniel Clark, 32, as been charged with conducting criminal enterprise, three counts of delivery/manufacturing fentanyl and three counts of conspiracy to deliver/manufacture fentanyl. Terry Jamal Gaskins, 34, has been charged with conducting criminal enterprise, three counts of delivery/manufacturing fentanyl and three counts of conspiracy to deliver/manufacture fentanyl. Authorities said they’ve been distributing cocaine laced with fentanyl, cut down to make a larger profit.

WARREN, Mich. – An investigation into a large-scale group alleged to be manufacturing and distributing fentanyl across Metro Detroit culminated in the arrests of three people. (Stopping Narcotic Overdoses in Warren) began investigating in November after the death of a 47-year-old resident. Jermaine Tate, 38, has been charged with conducting criminal enterprise, delivery/manufacturing fentanyl and three counts of conspiracy to deliver/manufacture fentanyl. Nathaniel Clark, 32, as been charged with conducting criminal enterprise, three counts of delivery/manufacturing fentanyl and three counts of conspiracy to deliver/manufacture fentanyl. Terry Jamal Gaskins, 34, has been charged with conducting criminal enterprise, three counts of delivery/manufacturing fentanyl and three counts of conspiracy to deliver/manufacture fentanyl.

WASHINGTON – U.S. health officials have allowed emergency use of the first antibody drug to help the immune system fight COVID-19, an experimental approach against the virus that has killed more than 238,000 Americans. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday cleared the experimental drug from Eli Lilly for people 12 and older with mild or moderate COVID-19 not requiring hospitalization. Early results suggest the drug, called bamlanivimab, may help clear the coronavirus sooner and possibly cut hospitalizations in people with mild to moderate COVID-19. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. also has asked for emergency authorization for an antibody drug it is testing, the one Trump received. FDA regulators authorized the Lilly drug using their emergency powers to quickly speed the availability of experimental drugs and other medical products during public health crises.

DETROIT – Prescription medications can be dangerous and even deadly -- and they’re probably just sitting in your medicine cabinet. The Drug Enforcement Administration laid out reasons for all of us to participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 24. According to the DEA, the majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained through family or friends, often from their own medicine cabinet. In the past, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has been very successful. More information can be found on the official National Prescription Drug Take Back Day website here.

PONTIAC, Mich. – Officials with the Livingston County and Oakland County Sheriff officers attested a 17-year-old boy Saturday at his home in Genoa Township, between Brighton and Howell, in connection with an 18-year-old man shot to death in Pontiac. The man’s body was found on a sidewalk in the 100 block of Thorpe Street just before 8:30 p.m. Friday. According to authorities, the 17-year-old was a passenger in the car who fired one shot from a handgun, striking the victim in the head. The 19-year-old driver and a 17-year-old girl, residents of Brighton, were taken to the Pontiac Substation for questioning and were released pending further investigation. Charges and arraignment are not expected until late Monday or early Tuesday after a review by the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.

Richard “White Boy Rick” Wershe Jr. is speaking out for the first time since his release from prison this summer.

DETROIT Richard White Boy Rick Wershe Jr. is set to be released from prison on Monday after 32 years behind bars. Wershe was only 14 years old when he was recruited by the FBI in Detroit as a highly-paid, drug-dealing informant. Though the story of White Boy Rick has been well-shared across Metro Detroit for decades, the story also made national headlines over the years. Burstein even served as a consultant for the White Boy Rick film. When you add in the factors of all the mitigating circumstances considering that he was recruited out of eight grade and turned into a drug dealer, the U.S. government actually created the persona that is White Boy Rick, Burnstein added.

Richard White Boy Rick Wershe Jr. is now a free man after 32 years behind bars. Richard Wershe Jr.Read more: How White Boy Rick became an informant, drug dealer in DetroitIn 1987, Wershe was arrested for possessing cocaine in excess of eight kilograms. Burstein even served as a consultant for the White Boy Rick film. Watch the full documentary here to learn the story of White Boy Rick.Related: White Boy Rick Wershe Jr. denied clemency in FloridaWhite Boy Rick the Hollywood filmA film based on his life titled White Boy Rick was released Sept. 14, 2018. Matthew McConaughey starred as Richards father, Richard Wershe Sr.Watch: White Boy Rick weighs in on movieMore: Former Detroit hitman wants White Boy Rick to be released from prison

In this video above, you can see Richard Wershe Jr., a.k.a. White Boy Rick, behind the prison gate using a sheet to hide his face after his release from prison. In the video, Wershe is sitting in the back seat of a BMW sport utility vehicle. He was then transferred to a Florida prison because of a crime he committed while behind bars in Michigan. Read more: White Boy Rick Wershe Jr. to return to Metro Detroit after release

Richard White Boy Rick Wershe Jr. is now set to be released from a Florida halfway house on Monday, July 20. Richard Wershe Jr. mugshot for Florida Department of Corrections (Florida Department of Corrections)The story of White Boy Rick'Wershe was the longest-serving nonviolent juvenile offender in Michigan history. Richard Wershe Jr.Read more: How White Boy Rick became an informant, drug dealer in DetroitIn 1987, Wershe was arrested for possessing cocaine in excess of eight kilograms. Read more: White Boy Rick Wershe Jr. to return to Metro Detroit after releaseRelated: White Boy Rick Wershe Jr. denied clemency in FloridaWhite Boy Rick the Hollywood filmA film based on his life titled White Boy Rick was released Sept. 14, 2018. Matthew McConaughey starred as Richards father, Richard Wershe Sr.Watch: White Boy Rick weighs in on movieMore: Former Detroit hitman wants White Boy Rick to be released from prison

Richard White Boy Rick Wershe Jr. is now set to be released from a Florida halfway house on Monday, July 20. Richard Wershe Jr.Read more: How White Boy Rick became an informant, drug dealer in DetroitIn 1987, Wershe was arrested for possessing cocaine in excess of eight kilograms. He was then transferred to a Florida prison because of a crime he committed while behind bars in Michigan. Related: White Boy Rick Wershe Jr. denied clemency in FloridaWhite Boy Rick the Hollywood filmA film based on his life titled White Boy Rick was released Sept. 14, 2018. Matthew McConaughey starred as Richards father, Richard Wershe Sr.Watch: White Boy Rick weighs in on movieMore: Former Detroit hitman wants White Boy Rick to be released from prison