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Drugs

Drugs
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Drugs. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Authorities display the 400 so-called slimming injections that were seized. Photo: Handout
Crime in Hong Kong

Customs arrests 2 after seizing HK$290,000 of ‘slimming injections’ from Japan

Man, 45, who collected parcel and woman, 41, who is named as consignee are released on bail, authorities say.

Biomedicine: Industry Trends

How Chinese biotech is graduating from licensing deals to broader partnerships

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police search for woman after man found dead outside building

China technology

Are clinical trials about to become a new front in the US-China biotech race?

China’s ability to conduct clinical trials quickly and cheaply has given it an edge in the biotech sector – and the US is growing concerned.

A sign for the Food And Drug Administration outside its headquarters in Maryland. Photo: Getty Images
Fame and celebrity

Hayden Panettiere died from accidental overdose involving fentanyl: coroner

The investigation into the 36-year-old US actress’ death is ongoing, police say.

Crime in Hong Kong

Nearly 50% rise in drug seizures by Hong Kong customs in first half of year

About 60 per cent of 5,704kg of narcotics seized in six-month period was cannabis and ketamine, with notable increases in smuggling via air and sea.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Customs seizes record HK$125 million worth of marijuana shipped by sea, arresting 3

Seizure of 535kg of cannabis buds found hidden inside insulated boxes shipped from Thailand marks largest seaborne drug bust in city’s history.

Customs officers display the seized cannabis at the department headquarters in North Point. Photo: Karma Lo
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police arrest 3, seize HK$23 million of Ice in Fanling bust

Two men and a woman, aged 49 to 56, arrested, with drug factory believed to have operated for three to four days.

US-China relations

Donald Trump presses China on fentanyl precursors ahead of US summit

White House designates China as the top source of core synthetic drug chemicals despite joint enforcement progress.

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Rodrigo Duterte

Video | Rodrigo Duterte appears in ICC courtroom for first time

The former Philippine leader’s trial over his ‘war on drugs’ that killed thousands starts on November 30.

The former Philippine leader’s trial over his ‘war on drugs’ that killed thousands starts on November 30
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Biomedicine: Companies

GSK’s US$750 million cancer drug deal highlights China’s rise as biotech player

The acquisition is the latest in a string of major licensing deals involving Chinese biotechnology firms.

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GSK has agreed a deal worth up to US$750 million to license a T-cell engager from a Chinese biotechnology firm. Photo: Reuters
Sexual harassment and assault

British man admits drugging, raping wife over more than 2 decades

Man pleads guilty to dozens of charges in Manchester court as 12 co-defendants face trial.

United States

Ozempic-maker Novo Nordisk slims down to ‘Novo’

It will keep the full Novo Nordisk as its legal corporate name, using Novo and an updated version of its bull logo for its packaging.

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Japan

‘I could go to Japan for free’, says US woman caught with smuggled cannabis

The suspect and her accomplice face up to 10 years in prison under Japan’s strict drug laws.

In Japan, smuggling cannabis for the purpose of making profit carries up to 10 years in prison. Photo: Shutterstock
US-Venezuela conflict

Maduro’s wife seeks release from US jail, citing worsening heart condition

Lawyers request home confinement in New York for former Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores ahead of June trial.

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Cilia Flores and Nicolas Maduro being escorted by US law enforcement in New York City on January 5, 2026. Photo: Reuters
United States

Rubio defends US strikes on boats, warns of drug cartel ‘cancer’

US Secretary of State pledges continued military operations against suspected drug traffickers in Latin American waters.

Malaysia

Malaysia arrests second pilot linked to Jakarta Ecstasy pills smuggling

Police said the suspect was in charge of handling the proceeds of the drug sales.

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Technology

As China embraces AI, few US pharmaceutical execs bet on it for innovation

Survey finds drug companies planned to scale AI or had already done so, but few anticipated a ‘wholesale revolution’ from the tech.

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A study of 50 US pharmaceutical company executives found all firms had either fully or partially scaled AI or were planning to. Photo: Shutterstock Images
China’s private sector

China needs monkeys: lab animal shortage could hinder biotech growth

As fundraising and out-licensing deals in China grow, so does demand for monkeys and other primates for testing.

Americas and the Caribbean

Thousands of Ecuadorians flee their homes as gang violence worsens

Ecuador recorded 9,216 violent deaths last year, a homicide rate of 51 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong seizes HK$1.4b suspected drugs over summer as cartels target students

Customs says 150 people aged between 18 and 68 arrested and 6.1 tonnes of suspected drugs seized between May and August.

Drug seizures at the airport between May and August jumped by 80 per cent to 3.3 tonnes compared with the same period last year, while the number of arrests rose to 134, a nearly twofold increase. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Africa

Egypt sentences TV presenter, 11 others to death in drugs case

Sarah Khalifa and 11 others were sentenced to ‘death by hanging on charges of forming an organised criminal gang’, state news reported.

Egypt has sentenced 11 people to death by hanging for manufacturing and trafficking narcotics. Photo: Shutterstock
Malaysia

Malaysia arrests 6 over drugs supplied to pilot caught with Ecstasy in Jakarta

Police said the suspects were taken into custody during a special operation conducted last month.

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Malaysia

Malaysian police smash drug ring, seize US$1 million of meth disguised as tea

The bust resulted from intelligence sharing between Malaysian and Thai police after a man is caught with suspected drugs in Hua Hin.

China-Latin America relations

Chile fines Chinese mafia inmate after cocaine found at maximum-security prison

Prosecutors link the inmate to a Chinese criminal network targeted in a major police operation last year and a second raid in June.

Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast visits La Laguna prison in Talca on August 13, as authorities transfer high-risk inmates there as part of a crackdown on organised crime. Photo: AFP
Vietnam

Vietnam’s move to end executions for drug trafficking sparks debate in region

The proposal has put a spotlight on the different legal approaches against drug trafficking offences in the region.

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Defendants (in blue) stand during their trial for drug trafficking in Ho Chi Minh on November 12, 2023. Photo: Vietnam News Agency/AFP
Hong Kong stock market

China’s Akeso says cancer drug beat AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi in phase 3 trial

The biliary tract cancer trial is the latest breakthrough for Akeso’s ivonescimab, which has also shown promise in treating some lung cancers.

Crime

Colombia mulls locking up dangerous criminals on prison ships

Humanitarian watchdogs warn that this form of incarceration breaches human rights.

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