DRUG

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

The deal could open up access to the anti-viral pill to more than half of the world’s population.

The company stopped clinical trials early because initial results for the drug were so positive.

Good news about at-home Covid treatments from Merck and Pfizer offer some hope as infections surge again.

Butler County Judge J. Gregory Howard ordered West Chester Hospital to treat Jeffrey Smith, 51, with ivermectin for three weeks, as requested by his wife.

Mississippi State Epidemiologist Paul Byers warned that “at least 70 percent of the recent calls” to poison control have been related to the ingestion of ivermectin “purchased at livestock supply centers.”

Forest rangers are working to destroy land damaged by growers.

Forest rangers are working to destroy land damaged by growers.

Scott Gottlieb also expressed concern about U.K. study showing brain-tissue shrinkage after covid-19.

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.

People who take this medication may need to consider “alternate” COVID-19 vaccine strategies, the researchers said.

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

A warning about all drugs

The company in March began an early stage clinical trial testing a new antiviral therapy for Covid.

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.

Pfizer said Tuesday it has begun an early stage clinical trial of an experimental oral antiviral drug for Covid-19. The New York-based company said the phase one trial of the drug – called PF-07321332 – is being conducted in the United States. The drug is part of a class of medicines called protease inhibitors and works by inhibiting an enzyme that the virus needs to replicate in human cells. The trial comes as Pfizer is also working on an intravenously administered protease inhibitor, known as PF-07304814. That drug is currently in a phase 1b clinical trial in patients hospitalized with Covid-19.

Could a psychiatric drug treat COVID? A psychiatrist at Washington University explains how a clinical trial was launched for the possible use of a 40-year-old antidepressant as a treatment for COVID. See the full report, Sunday on 60 Minutes.

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

New drug could treat double chins Soon, you may be able to get a shot to get rid of your double chin. An FDA advisory panel has unanimously recommended approval of the new injectable drug. KDKA's Maria Simbra reports.

LSD-type narcotic 25i sending users to emergency rooms Police say a new drug, with nicknames like 25i, N-Bomb and Smiles, is a dangerous narcotic that first gives the user a euphoric feeling, but then can cause disorientation and violent behavior. In the most dangerous cases, the drug causes a rapid heart rate which has led to deaths. WUSA's Peggy Fox reports.