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Drugs

Drugs
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Drugs. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Chinese biotech firms reached 157 agreements to out-licence early-stage drugs last year. Photo: Shutterstock
China’s private sector

How China’s ‘landmark’ drug pricing guidelines could be a boon for biotech

State Council calls for ‘value-based pricing’ for innovative drugs, a move researchers said would benefit private healthcare players.

Crime in Hong Kong

5 arrested in Hong Kong as thousands of anti-obesity tablets, injections seized

United States

Trump signs order to speed up review of psychedelics

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Americas and the Caribbean

US military says 4 killed in fourth ‘drug boat’ strike in a week

Death toll from controversial campaign reaches 174 as the US military increases kinetic operations in the eastern Pacific.

Video posted on social media showed a vessel bobbing in the water before being struck by a projectile and exploding. Photo: @Southcom via X
South Korea

In South Korea, you can order online deliveries for almost anything – even drugs

The number of teenagers arrested for drug-related crimes in the country has surged from just 30 in 2005 to 1,477 in 2023.

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The Philippines

Will Philippine ex-president Duterte stand trial at the ICC, and for how long?

Judges are set to decide by late April whether to send Duterte’s case to trial, with any proceedings expected to move at a ‘glacial pace’.

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India

Opinion | Asia’s flood of cheap Ozempic generics opens gates to weight-loss abuse

Cheaper semaglutides as patent ends is good news for diabetics. But lax regulation also means a risk of abuse by those desperate to lose weight.

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An advert for Eli Lilly’s obesity awareness campaign is seen on a building in Gurugram, India, on December 16. Photo: Reuters
Fame and celebrity

‘Ketamine Queen’ gets 15 years in jail for selling Matthew Perry deadly drugs

Jasveen Sangha allegedly ran an elaborate operation catering to high-end clients like the 54-year-old Friends star.

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India

Here comes the ‘Mounjaro bride’: Indian pre-wedding prep includes obesity drug

Many Indian marriages are arranged by families, often bringing expectations around physical appearance and financial status.

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong customs seizes HK$3.4 million worth of suspected drugs, arrests 2 men

Suspected ketamine, cocaine and ‘Ice’ seized in two separate operations, department says.

A suspect is escorted by Hong Kong customs officers at the department’s headquarters in North Point. Photo: Edmond So
US-China relations

Beijing hails US cooperation as ICE returns suspected drug smuggler to China

With Xi and Trump set to meet next month, Beijing says handoff signals ‘progress in bilateral counternarcotics law enforcement’.

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A drug smuggling suspect was returned to China by US ICE via cooperation channels between the two countries, Chinese state media says. Photo: AP
Crime

After car crash, Tiger Woods told officer he was ‘talking to the president’

It wasn’t clear if the golfer, who is dating Vanessa Trump, was talking about US President Donald Trump.

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Indonesia

Indonesia to deport Scottish crime boss wanted by Spain

Steven Lyons is wanted in Spain and Britain in connection with organised crime, drug trafficking and money laundering.

Biomedicine: Companies

China biotech deals hit record as innovative drugs draw global interest

Deals reach US$60 billion in first quarter after analysts say Chinese biotech firms have shown substantial technological advancements.

The US$60 billion deal value represents a 73 per cent jump from the same period a year earlier. Photo: Shutterstock
South Korea

South Korean ‘sugar cane killer’ extradited from Philippines over drug empire

Accused of running a drug ring from his Philippine prison cell, ‘VIP’ inmate Park Wang-yeol was extradited after a nine-year legal impasse.

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Park Wang-yeol (centre), a South Korean national detained in the Philippines, arrives at Incheon International Airport in South Korea on Wednesday. Photo: Yonhap/EPA
Hong Kong society

Red faces at bureau after anti-drug advert sends wrong message

Viewed from certain angles, advert appeared to encourage drug use.

United States

US rapper Afroman celebrates after court protects his right to mock police

The rapper had used home security footage in his music videos to take aim at their raid of his house in 2022.

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US-China trade war

Fears grow over US drug supply’s growing dependence on Chinese ingredients

Beijing’s global pharmaceutical push follows same playbook as rare earths, semiconductors and electric vehicles, warn US lawmakers.

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The United States’ growing dependence on China’s pharmaceutical industry for its supply chain is concerning US lawmakers. Photo: Shutterstock
War and conflict

Video | Survivors recount deadly air strike on Kabul drug rehab hospital

Afghanistan says 400 killed In hospital strike, Pakistan denies targeting civilian sites.

United States

US ‘grief author’ convicted of murdering husband with lethal fentanyl dose

Prosecutors say Kouri Richins poisoned her husband for a US$4 million estate before self-publishing a children’s book on coping with loss.

Americas and the Caribbean

Cartel boss on US ‘most wanted’ list captured in Bolivia raid

Sebastian Enrique Marset Cabrera, who had a US$2 million bounty on his head, was immediately put on a plane to be transferred to the US.

Police officers stand guard at the Viru Viru airport in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where Sebastian Enrique Marset Cabrera is reportedly being transferred on Friday. Photo: AFP
United States

Wealth, drugs and rape: US luxury real estate stars convicted of sex trafficking

Once the kings of high-stakes property, Alexander twins Oren and Alon and brother Tal face life in prison after a trial exposed a pattern of drugged assaults.

Brothers Alon Alexander, Oren Alexander and Tal Alexander in court. Image: Jane Rosenberg via Reuters
US-China relations

US and China clash over fentanyl and tariffs at global drugs meeting

The exchange underscored tensions ‌between the two countries ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting in China at the end of the month.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Trump offers Latin American leaders US missile strikes to hit drug cartels

The US president launched a 17-nation ‘counter cartel’ coalition at his ‘Shield of the Americas’ summit.

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Japan

‘Social morals are dying’: Japan’s under-20s are getting high like never before

The relaxed attitude towards ‘fashionable’ drugs has been cited as one reason for more young Japanese arrested for cannabis offences.

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People take part in a march in Tokyo in 2023 calling for the legalisation of cannabis. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Allies of Philippines’ Duterte step up online attacks as drug war trial looms

The efforts have focused on undermining the ICC itself, targeting victims and witnesses and normalising mockery of the dead.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (centre) holds a Galil sniper rifle during the national police chief change of command ceremony inside Camp Crame in Quezon City in April 2018. Duterte is accused of overseeing a campaign of extrajudicial killings linked to his signature “war on drugs”. Photo: EPA-EFE
Wellness

All about TCM’s ‘miracle pill’ Angong Niuhuang Wan, and when not to take it

The prized Angong Niuhuang Wan is thought to help stroke victims if taken at the right time. But when is that, and can it harm you?

Indonesia

Indonesia’s bid to execute 6 cargo ship crew in drug case sparks legal debate

Prosecutors allege the crew knowingly transported nearly two tonnes of meth, while lawyers say criminal intent must be assessed individually.

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