Pharmacists Can’t Be Forced to Dispense ‘Morning-After’ Pill, Illinois Court Says

An Illinois court recently weighed in on the issue of whether pharmacists must dispense emergency contraceptives even if they have religious objections. Find out what that court had to say and how the decision was similar to one earlier this year in the state of Washington.

Benzodiazepine Use Increases Dementia Risk
for Older Patients

Benzodiazepine can be highly effective for treating anxiety and insomnia, but the increased risk of developing dementia should be considered in patients 65 and older. That’s according to a new European study that found surprisingly higher rates of dementia in patients who took benzodiazepine compared to those who did not.

New Information on Where, When Antibiotics Are Most Often Prescribed

Antibiotics are more likely to be prescribed in the South and during the first quarter of the year, according to new research which sought to better quantify antibiotic overuse. Here’s how that information could improve efforts to better manage antibiotic use across the U.S.  

Long Discredited, Thalidomide Now Found to Suppress Cough in Patients With IPF

In one of the greatest drug catastrophes in modern history, thalidomide was taken off the market in 1961 after causing more than 10,000 birth defects in children of mothers who took it to control nausea. The drug is cautiously returning to the scene as an anti-inflammatory, however, with the latest research exploring its use in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.