Drug Topics back issues from May 2008:
NCPA, NACDS expand scope of AMP suit
May 12, 2008; ... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services did not contest the decision to add its new final rule on multiple-source drugs to the average manufacturer price suit filed last year by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association. In the ...
FDA clears way for new Crohn's biologic
May 12, 2008; ... A new agent for reducing the signs and symptoms of Crohn's disease (CD) will soon be available. UCB Inc. has received word from the FDA that certolizumab pegol (Cimzia) has been approved in CD patients with moderate to severe active disease who have an inadequate response to conventional ...
Pharmacy split over e-pedigree legislation
May 12, 2008; ... Pharmacy organizations are divided over whether to support new federal electronic pedigree legislation. The Safeguarding America's Pharmaceuticals Act of 2008 mandates national e-pedigree requirements. Recently, the start of a California e-pedigree rule was delayed from 2009 until 2011 (see page ...
Vaccines, inhaled insulin in, ED drugs out of Part D
May 12, 2008; ... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a final rule clarifying its policies for the Medicare Part D program. According to the rule, devices for the inhalation of insulin will now be included in the program. In addition, any ...
New allergy nasal spray cleared by FDA
May 12, 2008; ... Olopatadine HCl (Patanase, Alcon) nasal spray has received a regulatory green light for the relief of symptoms associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis. The spray is indicated for patients 12 years of age and older and has a 30-minute onset of action and a 12-hour duration. The approval was ...
Lawsuit aims to stop Medi-Cal cuts
May 12, 2008; ... Uptown Pharmacy and Gift Shop and Central Pharmacy, both based in the Los Angeles area, have joined with a nursing facility and an advocacy group in a suit to stop the state of California from instituting a 10% across-the-board cut in payments to Medi-Cal providers. The cuts, which are set to go ...
Stimulant Vyvanse approved for adults
May 12, 2008; ... An often overlooked group of patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is adults. But now this population has a new choice of treatment. Shire pic has announced the approval of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Vyvanse) for the treatment of ADHD in adults. The once-daily drug was ...
Irritable bowel syndrome gains new treatment
May 12, 2008; ... Amitiza (lubiprostone), formerly approved to treat chronic idiopathic constipation, has gained clearance for a new indication. The drug can now be used to treat irritable bowel ...
Constipation relief possible with Relistor
May 12, 2008; ... For late-stage, advanced illness patients who develop constipation due to their need for opioids on a continuous basis, there may now be some relief. Wyech Pharmaceuticals has announced the approval of methylnaltrexone bromide (Relistor), a new drug that works by blocking opioid entrance into ...
Letters
May 12, 2008; ... Pharmacist salaries not keeping up In response to your March cover story on pharmacist salaries, which showed that R.Ph.s are making $52.00 per hour on average, that salary doesn't keep up with inflation. I was paid $4.25 per hour plus benefits in Miami, FIa., in 1961. The costs ...
R.Ph.s say more needs to be done to prevent pediatric drug errors
May 12, 2008; ... Health-system pharmacists responded favorably to a recent Joint Commission (JC) Sentinel Event Alert that addressed the problem of pediatric medication errors. But some pharmacists admit that there's a long way to go before medications made for adults and administered to children will be a thing ...
There's a new school of thought on use of beta-blockers for hypertension
May 12, 2008; ... Beta-blockers have long been a staple in the treatment of hypertension (HTN), but now that may be shifting as several clinical trials show they didn't fare as well in improving cardiovascular outcomes as other classes of drugs. Despite their proven benefit in certain clinical situations, when it ...
Academic detailing gathers momentum
May 12, 2008; ... Federal legislation is afoot to establish an academic detailing program. Drafted by Sen. Herb Kohl (D, Wis.) and Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (R, Ill.), the goal is to counter current marketing practices in the drug industry by giving prescribers unbiased information on the comparative ...
Effective hospital pharmacy leadership: You can do it
May 12, 2008; ... Today's hospital pharmacy leaders are faced with more challenges than ever before, from regulatory changes, to financial pressures, from safety demands to a growing imbalance of supply vs. labor costs. Together, these challenges create an extremely difficult environment in which to manage a ...
Letters
May 12, 2008; ... Don't ignore dietary supplements Regarding your Feb. 11 Guest Spot about whether dietary supplements have a place in health systems, it's not the lack of FDA involvement, clinical studies, or reimbursement that have kept hospitals from these products. It's fear. Thanks to big Pharma, big ...
Cholesterol controversy tops billing at cardiology confab
May 12, 2008; ... Even prior to the recent American College of Cardiology (ACC) annual meeting, held in Chicago, previews of the data from the ENHANCE trial had already attracted intense media attention. This was largely because of unexpectedly disappointing results and a congressional investigation into delays ...
New reimbursement benchmarks: Are you ready for them?
May 12, 2008; ... For the first time in a quarter century, Medicare is changing the way it pays hospitals-and private insurers are following suit. Beginning October 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is adopting a new diagnosis-related group (DRG) reimbursement system that pays more for ...
N.C. hospital loses CMS certification over drug and other errors
May 12, 2008; ... Haywood Regional Medical Center (HRMC) in Clyde, N.C., has lost eligibility for Medicare & Medicaid reimbursement due a series of medication and other errors leading to patient deaths. The 170-bed hospital in Clyde serves a large section of western North Carolina. "The next major ...
Broad label for new leukemia therapy looks promising
May 12, 2008; ... As the first drug approved for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) since 2001, Cephalon's bendamustine (Treanda) has the potential for significant market penetration, according to experts. The new therapy was approved by the Food & Drug Administration following priority review in March of ...
Treating asthma during pregnancy safer than not, says new guide
May 12, 2008; ... About 4% to 8% of pregnancies will be complicated by asthma, a potentially serious condition that can lead to significant morbidity. Up until now, pharmacists and other practitioners have not had a guide to aid in choosing appropriate medical treatment. Recently, however, the American College of ...
In the pipeline: Novel treatments for chronic ITP on horizon
May 12, 2008; ... The mainstays for managing chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) currently include treatment with corticosteroids and intravenous immune globulin (IVIG), along with splenectomy, which is sometimes necessary. However all of these options may be undesirable due to their associated ...
APhA leader's plan to leave office takes center stage at its conference
May 12, 2008; ... The recent American Pharmacists Association annual meeting, held in San Diego, marked a turning point in the organization's history. At the show's final House of Delegates session, APhAs CEO John Gans announced that he would be stepping down from his position after nearly 20 years at the helm ....
Giving a talk to the community? Check out these materials
May 12, 2008; ... You've been invited to give a talk to your community about medication use and you need to get a PowerPoint presentation together quickly? No need to scramble. There's one already prepared and yours for the asking. The American Pharmacists Association and the Institute for Safe Medication ...
The changing face of pharmacy
May 12, 2008; ... "The face of American pharmacy is no longer male," I said. "Creating in your mind the picture of a typical pharmacist as a middle-aged man is not accurate today. In the past, he was commonly portrayed as a cherubic and welcoming older man. He made himself available to anyone with a health issue ....
EMPLOYERS AND R.PH.S: A WIN-WIN COMBO
May 12, 2008; ... More employers are looking to pharmacists to control their rising drug costs and improve chronic care for their beneficaries Health care is once again front and center in the national political debate. Four years ago, Republicans pushed through the Medicare Part D drug benefit in part to ...
FDA's Ilisa Bernstein discusses pharmacy affairs
May 12, 2008; ... Ilisa Bernstein, Pharm.D., J.D., is director of pharmacy affairs in the Office of the Commissioner at the Food & Drug Administration. She advises on domestic and international issues related to the regulation of drugs, biologies, dietary supplements, and medical devices, as well as ...
Can I fill self-prescribed Rxs or Rxs for family members?
May 12, 2008; ... When a pharmacist is presented with a self-prescribed prescription, or a prescription written for the prescriber's family member, it should immediately raise a red flag and requires close scrutiny. Is the prescription valid? If not, can the pharmacist be disciplined for filling it? The short ...
Manufacturers unleash a rash of poison ivy treatments
May 12, 2008; ... Spring is in the air and that means people will be spending more time outdoors. What treatments will patients find on pharmacy shelves if they succumb to poison ivy and other poisonous plants? Here's a preview of products that manufacturers are itching to sell: Zanfel Laboratories is ...
Are OTC cold remedies safe for kids?
May 12, 2008; ... Reports of children experiencing severe adverse reactions to over-the-counter cold remedies have grown in recent years. In the most tragic cases, the adverse reactions were fatal. The Food & Drug Administration addressed the problem last year. In August, the FDA published a health advisory ...
Probiotics are all the rage: How you can capitalize on it
May 12, 2008; ... When Kelly Karpa's two-year-old son was diagnosed with Clostridium difficile diarrhea in 2001, and his symptoms didn't disappear after antibiotic therapy, Karpa took him to Johns Hopkins University. There he was treated by a physician who had experience with probiotics. For 10 days Karpa's son ...
CMS' prices for round one of DMEPOS competitive bidding raising concerns
May 12, 2008; ... The home care industry is very concerned about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' announcement that it will pay on average 26% less than current levels for 10 product categories included in the first round of competitive bidding for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, ...
CVS Caremark's mentoring program recruits and retains R.Ph.s
May 12, 2008; ... Jerry Welenc is 71-years-of-age. He has been a pharmacist for 50 years. While he has logged enough years to hang up his white coat, the thought never crosses his mind. What's keeping Welenc in the workforce? Welenc gets satisfaction from working as a CVS pharmacist as well as from ...
Antimicrobial resistance among community pathogens
May 12, 2008; ... An ongoing CE program of The University of Florida College of Pharmacy and DRUG TOPICS The emergence of strains of microorganisms that are resistant to commonly used anti-infectives has become a global issue. Traditionally considered to be a hospital problem, antimicrobial resistance is ...
Calif. board delays e-pedigree rule until 2011
May 12, 2008; ... The California Board of Pharmacy recently decided to delay implementing its electronic pedigree requirements until 2011. Still, the board was clear in its March meeting that it expected pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers, and pharmacies to continue to prepare for the rule's implementation ....
New Products
May 12, 2008; ... RX NEW DRUG The FDA has approved GlaxoSmithKline's (www. gsk.com) RotariX (Rotavirus Vaccine, live, oral) for the prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis in infants. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the American ...
Navigating through pharmacy: Like reading confusing street signs
May 12, 2008; ... The smooth operation of a typical retail pharmacy department depends on the ability of trained support personnel to perform their daily task efficiently and accurately. Unfortunately, the training of technicians can be very difficult and frustrating due to the lack of standard guidelines to ...