EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you the five stories you need to know as you head out the door.

1. #DRUG DEAL: The Department of Health says it has concluded talks on a deal with the HSE and the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association which will shave a considerable amount off the state’s drugs bill. James Reilly says the deal will save Ireland over €400 million in the next three years.

2. #CROKE PARK: The government’s also insisted that the Troika have no concerns over the amount Ireland is saving under the Croke Park deal. The Department of Public Expenditure said it had checked with the Troika, who – contrary to a newspaper report this morning – had no unease about the savings made under the deal.

3. #COURTS: A Co Leitrim teenager has been given six years in jail for the manslaughter of a 73-year-old man two years ago. RTÉ News reports Brendan McGovern was convicted of killing John Golden at his home in Killeshandra, after the teenager claimed he had been sexually assaulted and taunted by the victim. Four years of the sentence were suspended.

4. #FIREFIGHTERS: Three units from Dublin Fire Brigade came under attack as the responded to reports of a fire in north Dublin. Bottles and rockets were aimed at the firefighters as they attended the scene for what was the third time the firefighters had been called to the area that day. The events come only two weeks after the Dáil voted down a plan to impose minimum five-year jail terms on anyone caught assaulting an emergency worker.

5. #LIFE ASSURANCE: Lifestyle ‘vices’ like smoking, alcohol and heavy eating are pushing up the cost of life assurance plans, insurer Caledonian Life has said. The insurer has cited research from the Irish Heart Foundation which says a quarter of Irish adults are obese – figures which in turn mean it costs extra to insure them.