A licensed drug addiction counselor who delivered the ketamine that killed “Friends” star Matthew Perry has been sentenced to two years. Erik Fleming received the sentence in a Los Angeles federal court on Wednesday. He had pleaded guilty to distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Fleming connected Perry with drug dealer Jasveen Sangha, who was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison. Fleming cooperated with authorities and gave up Sangha, leading to a lighter sentence. Fleming became the fourth person sentenced of the five who have pleaded guilty.

About 70,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year — about 14% fewer than the previous year. It was the third straight annual drop, making it the longest decline in decades. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the provisional data Wednesday. The 2025 total is about the same as the tally in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Health and law enforcement officials in recent months have been sounding alarms about newer drugs that were increasingly detected in 2025. Among them is cychlorphine, a potent synthetic opioid that's up to 10 times stronger than fentanyl.

Technological advancements have made cosmetic procedures more accessible but have also lead many to grapple with the philosophical and ethical implications. Some religious views discourage vanity while others see cosmetic surgery as a personal choice. Women are often faced with these conversations although they are not the only demographic considering personal autonomy, social pressures and the medical profession’s role. There has been little in the way of official guidance or explicit prohibitions from major religions. But a growing chorus of theologians, philosophers and bioethicists from all backgrounds are calling for more thoughtful discourse surrounding these procedures and treatments.

A federal appeals court has restricted access to one of the most common means of abortion in the U.S. by blocking the mailing of mifepristone. A panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is requiring that the abortion pill be distributed only in-person at clinics. Since the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed enforcement of abortion bans, prescriptions by mail has become a major way that abortions are provided — including to states where bans are in place. The decision sets up a likely appeal to the Supreme Court.

President Donald Trump says he's nominating former Fox News Channel contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier for surgeon general after Dr. Casey Means’ path forward stalled in the Senate. In a social media post Thursday, Trump said Saphier is “a STAR physician who has spent her career guiding women facing breast cancer through their diagnosis and treatment.” Senators of both major political parties grilled Means on her vaccine stance and other health topics during a tense confirmation hearing. Means told The Associated Press her nomination fell apart after a “smear campaign." Saphier has aligned with many of Trump's positions but in at least one case pushed back on his messaging around Tylenol during pregnancy.

The Food and Drug Administration says it will offer ultra-fast review to three psychedelic drugs being studied for hard-to-treat mental health conditions, including major depression. The agency announced the move Friday, following an executive order by President Donald Trump calling for the agency to speed up access to the mind-altering drugs. The move reflects growing popular support for the psychedelics among Trump’s supporters, including combat veterans and followers of the Make America Healthy Again movement. The FDA also greenlighted initial testing of a drug related to ibogaine, a potent psychedelic linked to dangerous heart rhythms.