Advances in targeted therapy stand out at ASCO
June 20th 2005At the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), some 25,000 cancer specialists from around the world came to Orlando, Fla., to consider the latest advances in cancer care, treatment, and prevention. Novel targeted therapies for major cancers abounded, as did improvements in quality of life for patients suffering adverse effects from conventional therapy. Here are some highlights
FDA approves label changes for Natrecor
May 15th 2005Scios Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, has changed its package labeling to add data about deaths associated with its heart failure drug nesiritide (Natrecor) after studies in prominent medical journals raised questions about an increased risk of fatal renal problems. The Food & Drug Administration-approved label change, which stops short of an outright warning, indicated that in clinical trials 5.3% of the patients treated with nesiritide died, compared with 4.3% who took other agents, including diuretics and intravenous nitroglycerin. However, the new label states that the data might not be statistically significant because of the small number of patients involved.
Pharmacists can do more for heart failure patients
May 15th 2005Are hospitalized heart failure patients getting adequate discharge instructions, such as counseling on diet, exercise, medication management, and smoking cessation? Not according to the results of a new study released by the world's largest heart failure registry-ADHERE (Acute Decompensated Heart Failure National Registry).
What is bioidentical HRT and is there evidence to support its use?
May 2nd 2005A: Findings from the Womens Health Initiative (WHD) and other studies offered important information about the risks and benefits of long-term menopausal therapy. As a result, it is currently recommended that HRT be used only for the treatment of moderate to severe menopausal symptoms (vasomotor symptoms, symptoms of vulvar and vaginal atrophy) at the lowest effective dose and for the shortest duration of time consistent with a woman's individual treatment goals and risks. Results from these trials have prompted many women to seek alternatives to conventional HRT. One such alternative is bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT).
Baker to head compounding accreditation board
May 2nd 2005Sensing that the time has come for the profession to take responsibility for policing what many view as a pharmacist"s cherished prerogative—compounding—Kenneth Baker has accepted the job of implementing a way for compounding pharmacies to earn a stamp of approval from the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB).
Cardiology show highlights antiplatelet agent, COX-2 risks
April 18th 2005The always high-interest Late Breaking Clinical Trials at the Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology, held in Orlando, Fla., were particularly notable this year. First, they included an unprecedented three individual sessions on the antiplatelet agent Plavix (clopidogrel, Sanofi-Aventis). Second, justifying the plunge to lower and lower LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) targets, they included strong results for a trial of 80 mg of atorvastatin (Lipitor, Pfizer), and, finally, they featured a session with conflicting messages on the risks of COX-2 inhibitors.
NJ Blues tries ATM machines to boost use of generics
April 18th 2005How do you increase the dispensing rate of generic prescription drugs in a state that's in the backyard of some of the largest name-brand pharmaceutical companies? That was the dilemma facing Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and Horizon Healthcare Services Inc., New Jersey's largest health insurer.
Battle over authorized generics grows increasingly heated
April 1st 2005Everyone knows market competition isn't pretty, but the battle between Big Pharma and generic manufacturers is often downright nasty. That's especially true as some generic companies fight Big Pharma—and one another—to stop a practice they find particularly abhorrent: authorized generics. The only thing everyone agrees about is that no one knows where the issue goes from here—to Congress or the Supreme Court.
Battle over authorized generics grows increasingly heated
April 1st 2005Everyone knows market competition isn't pretty, but the battle between Big Pharma and generic manufacturers is often downright nasty. That's especially true as some generic companies fight Big Pharma—and one another—to stop a practice they find particularly abhorrent: authorized generics. The only thing everyone agrees about is that no one knows where the issue goes from here—to Congress or the Supreme Court.
This drug assistance program is first to offer generics
April 1st 2005The Rx Outreach program, from Express Scripts Specialty Distribution Services Inc. (ESSDS), is the first prescription drug assistance program for generic drugs. Through the program, begun in November 2004, more than 108 million lower-income adults and children can purchase more affordable medications.
Employers not doing all they can to encourage generic usage
April 1st 2005Employers like pharmacy benefit programs that encourage members to use generic equivalents—or do they? Two industry-sponsored studies show that the generic prescriptions are continuing to grow as a percentage of total prescriptions filled. However, another study of employer trends, by a nonprofit research firm, showed a decrease in the percentage of workers in the United States who belong to managed care plans that require the use of generic products when they are available.
Generic pharmaceutical industry growth slows a tad
April 1st 2005The generic pharmaceutical industry has hit some speed bumps. Sales by individual generic drugmakers such as TEVA continue to soar, but the industry as a whole is growing about 10% annually. That's not bad compared with the 6% annual growth the typical brand-name drugmaker is logging. But it's a far cry from the 20% to 50% annual growth generic firms have been accustomed to seeing in the past.
Some Rxs ordered on-line may lack quality control
April 1st 2005Generic and name-brand prescriptions bought over the Internet may be cheaper, but the quality may be severely compromised, according to researchers who published their findings in Science (July 2004). "Reports have been in the news about "battle lines" being drawn between those in favor of drug importation and those opposed," said principal investigator Michael A. Veronin, R.Ph., Ph.D., in an interview. Veronin is an assistant professor of pharmacy practice in the school of pharmacy at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Amarillo.
Generics linked to improved compliance due to lower cost
April 1st 2005When patients don't take their prescribed medications, they often get sicker. The high cost of drugs makes them cost prohibitive to many people. Generic drugs cost significantly less than branded drugs. Putting these three well-established facts together leads some researchers to believe that the availability of generics may positively affect patient compliance.
Nosocomial pneumonia: Hit it hard from start
March 21st 2005Management strategies for nosocomial pneumonia are changing. The American Thoracic Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America just issued the first new guidelines for the treatment of hospital and healthcare-related pneumonia in nine years. They appeared in the February issue of American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Many hospitals do poorly in presurgical prophylaxis
March 21st 2005Most hospitals are not complying with standard guidelines for antibiotic (ABX) prophylaxis before surgery. Barely more than half of patients in a recent study received antibiotics within one hour of the initial incision. Less than half of patients were taken off ABX prophylaxis within 24 hours following surgery. The result is an unknown number of surgical site infections that could have been prevented with more appropriate treatment.
Beware of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia
March 21st 2005Without prompt intervention, as many as 30% of patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) will die, and an additional 10% to 20% will require limb amputation. HIT is an antibody-mediated reaction to heparin that produces a procoagulant state, during which patients are at increased risk for thromboses.
Clinical Twisters: Improving RA control post-MI
March 21st 2005A 60-year-old woman, A.R., with rheumatoid arthritis for two years, is being discharged from your hospital after acute myocardial infarction (MI). She uses methotrexate (MTX) 30 mg weekly subcutaneously but still experiences joint pain and swelling; she takes naproxen regularly. Dismissal orders are nitroglycerin 0.4 mg sublingual p.r.n., metoprolol 25 mg, atorvastatin 40 mg, aspirin 162 mg, warfarin 2.5 mg (all q.d.); INR level twice weekly; lipid levels in six weeks. Her physician is pondering whether to add etanercept (Enbrel, Immunex) or another disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) to MTX to better control RA. What do you recommend?
New resource available for pediatric hospice workers
February 21st 2005Hospice Pharmacia (HP), a division of excelleRx, Philadelphia, recently released its Pediatric Medication Use Guidelines (P-MUGs) to the company's 400 partnering hospices around the country. The new tool will provide medication protocols that will aid healthcare workers in the management of end-of-life symptoms for terminally ill children. Up to now, the firm used guidelines designed to manage pain and palliate symptoms in adults.
How to reduce toxicity in pediatric cancer survivors
February 21st 2005The good news in the area of pediatric cancer is that many such conditions have become curable. The bad news is that chemotherapies, radiation, and surgical treatments used to attain the cures have toxicities that can surface years later. And these toxicities are becoming a problem as more pediatric cancer survivors age into adulthood.
Compounding R.Ph.s cash in on bioidentical hormones
February 21st 2005With a boost from actress Suzanne Somers' new book extolling hormones as the fountain of youth, many compounders are cashing in on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. But critics contend that such untested products put profits before patients.
How technology can create, and reduce, drug errors
January 24th 2005Of overall computer entry errors, 56% are caused by distractions, according to a U.S. Pharmacopoeia 2003 MEDMARX study. In addition, distractions were cited in 78% of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) errors in reports "that documented a contributing factor other than 'none,'" said John Santell, director of educational program initiatives for the U.S. Pharmacopoeia in Rockville, Md.
Clinical R.Ph.-hospitalist team shortens stays, reduces costs
January 24th 2005When clinical pharmacists teamed up with hospitalists, patient stays were shorter and drug costs lower, according to a study conducted at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in East Patchogue, N.Y., and presented at the 2004 annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine in New Orleans.