Associations News

J. Lyle Bootman, PhD, ScD, senior vice president for Health Sciences, dean and professor of Pharmacy, Medicine, and Public Health, University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy, was honored as the PPSI Distinguished Pharmacist of the Year, during PPSI’s annual breakfast, held during the American Pharmacists Association 2012 annual meeting in New Orleans.

The Colon Cancer Alliance and makers of Dulcolax products are working together again to remind people that March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and to urge them to schedule a screening,

New guidelines for the use of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend for the first time vaccinating adolescent boys as well as girls.

The National Community Pharmacists Association is urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to stop requiring duplicative fees from pharmacists

The National Community Pharmacists Association criticized a new ad campaign that implies that retail pharmacists are not doing all they can to curb prescription drug abuse.

The Online Pharmacy Safety Act would help consumers protect themselves against the growing threat of illegitimate online drug sellers, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores told members of Congress.

The Drug Enforcement Administration will hold 2 one-day regional conferences in West Palm Beach, Fla., next month in an effort to assist pharmacy personnel in identifying and responding to potential diversion activity.

California has become the first state to regulate dextromethorphan (DXM), an antitussive in Benylin, Pertussin, Robitussin, and dozens of other over-the-counter cough and cold products. A state law that went into effect Jan. 1 prohibits sales of products containing DXM to anyone under the age of 18 without a prescription.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) has formally joined 5 other national health professions to create the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), a new national organization that will focus on improved integration and coordination of the education of pharmacists and other healthcare workers to provide more collaborative care.

What’s different on your local drug-store counters this month? You can try 2 new flavors of organic tooth powders. There’s a prenatal vitamin designed to optimize DHA levels in mother’s milk. You’ll find a cocktail of natural oils for spot relief of pain or dry skin. A new hand and body lotion promotes healthy blood flow. A multivitamin has been created to improve your vision. Five organic lip and body balms now come in easy-to-carry containers. And there are even more new over-the-counter items featured in the print edition of Drug Topics.

Community pharmacists are encouraged to express their views to lawmakers at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ 4th annual RxIMPACT Day in Washington, D.C., in March.

Retail pharmacy groups are urging Congress to reject budget proposals that would limit pharmacy choice for TRICARE beneficiaries.

A whopping 82% of 600 Georgia voters surveyed said they oppose mandatory mail-order plans.

Drug shortages have resulted in higher acquisition costs for pharmacies and the inability to fill prescriptions, according to a new survey, and the National Community Pharmacists Association conveyed that message to Congress.

Two U.S. congressional representatives recently urged other members of the House of Representatives to support the Medication Therapy Management Benefits Act of 2011.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) expressed its concerns about proposed mandatory prescription track-and-trace programs in comments to a Congressional advisory panel recently.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation has awarded 58 scholarships – totaling $190,000 – to pharmacy schools representing 42 colleges and schools of pharmacy, the foundation announced.

The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy is not pleased with changes to the Medicare Part D reporting requirements proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Walgreens has taken 2 major steps to grow the customer base of its pharmacies since ending its relationship with pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts on January 1.

FDA approved axitinib (Inlyta, Pfizer) to treat patients with an advanced kidney cancer called renal cell carcinoma who have not responded to another drug for this type of cancer.

William Edward Evans, PharmD, director and CEO at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, has been selected to receive pharmacy’s highest award, the Remington Honor Medal, the American Pharmacists Association announced.

Regions Bank, which operates 1,800 U.S. banks, recently rescinded its policy requiring employees to fill prescription drugs for chronic conditions through mail-order pharmacies.

Medicare patients who believe they were duped into enrolling in a “preferred network” with inadequate pharmacy access should be granted a special enrollment period to sign up for a new Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, the National Community Pharmacists Association told the federal agency in a letter.

Developing new standards for medication therapy management was just one of the initiatives that the non-profit National Council for Prescription Drug Programs accomplished last year.

Two pharmacy organizations issued a report aimed at helping colleges and schools of pharmacy develop medication therapy management curricula. The study also emphasized the importance of students learning these lessons early.

Two leading pharmacy groups are combining forces on an initiative that they hope will more effectively involve pharmacists in the coordination of care transition and reduce the number of hospital readmissions of patients

Political mavens James Carville and Marlee Matlin will be the keynote speakers at this year’s American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists’ Midyear Clinical Meeting.

The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Foundation have issued new guidelines for secondary prevention and risk reduction in patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease.

Pharmacy association veteran Kathleen Jaeger will publicly advance the role of pharmacists in patient care in a newly created position with the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

Pfizer, Medco, and pharmacy groups are all battling to get their voices heard after a November The New York Times article raised questions about prescribing Lipitor versus Atorvastatin (the new generic form of Lipitor).