Breaking News

  • The little red pill being pushed on the elderly

    By Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken; Data analysis by Sergio Hernandez, CNN Investigates
    The maker of a little red pill intended to treat a rare condition is raking in hundreds of millions of dollars a year as it aggressively targets frail and elderly nursing home residents for whom the drug may be unnecessary or even unsafe, a CNN investigation has found.

  • How CNN reported on Nuedexta

    By Blake Ellis, Melanie Hicken and Sergio Hernandez, CNN Investigates
    CNN has released an investigation exposing the inappropriate and potentially fraudulent use of a popular nursing home drug called Nuedexta. Read it here.
  • LOS ANGELES - SEPTEMBER 10: Los Angeles City Hall in Los Angeles, California on September 10, 2017. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)

    City of Los Angeles opens investigation into drugmaker following CNN report

    By Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken, CNN Investigates
    Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer has launched an investigation into California-based drugmaker Avanir Pharmaceuticals, the subject of a CNN report into its aggressive targeting of nursing home residents with a drug called Nuedexta that may be unnecessary or unsafe for this population.

  • Drugmaker's ties to nonprofits pose 'conflict of interest'

    By Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken, CNN Investigates
    A leading advocacy group for Alzheimer's patients has stopped accepting funding from a Southern California drugmaker following a CNN investigation into the company that sparked a government probe.

  • Who is behind one of the biggest scams in history?

    It's one of the world's longest-running cons. Hundreds of millions of dollars stolen from some of the world's most vulnerable people, who all thought they had found a savior in the mysterious Maria Duval.

About 

  • Melanie Hicken is an award-winning investigative reporter for CNN. Her work has exposed everything from widespread sexual abuse in nursing homes to one of the longest-running scams in history. It has inspired congressional legislation and prompted government action. Email her at watchdog@cnn.com.

    Hicken and her longtime reporting partner, Blake Ellis's groundbreaking investigation into the secret world of government debt collectors won the prestigious Heywood Broun Award of Distinction and inspired lawmakers to take action with legislation aimed at closing the loophole highlighted in the stories. They were finalists for a Peabody Award for CNN's coverage of guns in America, and the two journalists have been honored by the International Association of Broadcasting, the National Press Club, the National Endowment for Financial Education, the Radio Television Digital News Association and the National Association of Consumer Advocates. Hicken regularly appears on CNN and other television and radio networks to discuss her investigations

    Before joining CNN, Hicken worked for the Los Angeles Times Community News group, where she won awards for her local government coverage and investigative reports. She is a graduate of Syracuse University's Newhouse School and holds a master's degree in business and economic reporting from New York University.