From staff reports

The use of benzocaine gels and liquids to sooth teething and mouth and gum pain can lead to a rare but serious--and sometimes fatal--condition called methemoglobinemia, according to an FDA Consumer Update.

FDA has warned consumers and healthcare professionals that counterfeit versions of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries' Adderall 30-mg tablets are being sold on the Internet.

The California Pharmacists Association (CPhA) announced Tuesday that its board of trustees has endorsed the California Cancer Research Act, also known as Proposition 29, which would raise $735 million annually for cancer research and smoking education by imposing a $1 tax on a pack of cigarettes

The first large-scale U.S. study linking medication adherence and text message reminders showed improved adherence rates for patients with diabetes and heart conditions.

CDC is proposing an expansion of its current hepatitis C risk-based guidelines to include a simple, one-time blood test ?for anyone born from 1945 through 1965.

The number of physicians and clinicians using e-prescribing increased by 67% in 2011 and they filled 75% more medication orders electronically, according to a new downloadable report by Surescripts, which operates a nationwide network connecting the computer systems of physicians and pharmacies.

The drug-shortage crisis got a step closer to being alleviated Thursday, when the U.S. Senate passed FDA?s Safety and Innovation Act (SB-3187).

Franck?s Compounding Pharmacy in Ocala, Fla., announced today that it is recalling all sterile human and veterinary prescriptions that is distributed from November 21, 2011, to May 21, 2012.

Statin therapy is safe and effective for people at low risk of major vascular events and, therefore, current guidelines might need to be reconsidered, according to a study published online in The Lancet.

The Affordable Care Act saved Medicare recipients more than $3 billion on prescription drugs and 12.1 million recipients used a free preventive service in the first four months of 2012, the government said in a news release today.

Taking probiotics during a course of antibiotics reduces the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, according to the results of a study published May 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Changes in procedural antithrombotic strategy are associated with a significant temporal reduction in major bleeding over time in patients undergoing elective post-percutaneous intervention, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The use of atypical antipsychotics in patients with major depressive disorder who have not responded to antidepressant therapy substantially increased clinical response rates at 6 weeks; however the drugs are also much more costly, according to the results of an analysis published in the May issue of The Annals of Pharmacotherapy.

More than a third of patients newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus did not receive the recommended first-line drug, a finding that could have substantial implications for healthcare spending, according to a study published in the American Journal of Medicine.

Pharmacists included in team-based care improve blood-pressure control for patients, according to new recommendations from the Community Preventive Services Task Force.

The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, and The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy won the first Innovative Adherence Educators Challenge for the best practices in medication adherence teaching.

The multiple sclerosis drug fingolimod (Gilenya, Novartis) is now contraindicated for use in patients with certain pre-existing or recent heart conditions or stroke, or who are taking certain antiarrhythmic medications, according to FDA.

FDA has notified healthcare professionals that it is aware of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reporting a small increase in cardiovascular deaths and in the risk of death from any cause in persons treated with a 5-day course of azithromycin (Zithromax) compared to persons treated with amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, or no drug.

FDA has approved generic versions of clopidogrel tablets USP (Plavix, Sanofi and Bristol-Myers Squibb), 75 mg and 300 mg.

Warfarin fared no better than aspirin at reducing the combined risk of brain hemorrhage, stroke, or death for heart-failure patients in normal rhythm, according to the results of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Patients with schizophrenia who switched from haloperidol decanoate or fluphenazine decanoate to risperidone microspheres discontinued their treatment more frequently, according to a new study published in the March issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

A unique study designed to gauge the impacts of polypharmacy on schizophrenia mortality produced some surprising results: The use of antidepressants or 2 or more antipsychotics was not associated with increased deaths, but the use of benzodiazepine was.

Researchers from the University of Washington have identified a threshold concentration of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25-(OH)D] that is associated with increased risk for major medical events and they say that season-specific targets may be more appropriate than static targets when evaluating health risk.

Cardinal Health this week settled litigation with the DEA, which suspended Cardinal?s ability to sell controlled substance medications from its Lakeland, Fla., distribution center for two years.

Sanofi US recently introduced a blood glucose meter that directly connects to the iPhone and the iPod touch, and communicates results with caregivers and healthcare teams.

What's different in your drug stores this month? A children's sugar-free multivitamin drink. An organizer for patients taking multiple medications. A non-fish oil omega-6 fatty acid supplement. A smaller acetaminophen suppository for infants. Heartburn relief plus breath freshening in a single product. A convenient stain-removing strip option. And there are even more new over-the-counter items featured in the print edition of Drug Topics.

Pharmacists play a vital role in FDA's "new paradigm" for a third class of drugs, according to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

Hospira is voluntarily recalling one lot of hydromorphone injection, USP, 1 mg/mL (C-II), 1-mL fill in 2.5-mL Carpuject, NDC 0409-1283-31, after complaints that a single Carpuject contained more than the 1-mL labeled fill volume, according to a press release posted on the FDA website.

Pharmacists need additional guidance on the handling of biosimilar products in the pharmacy when these products become more widely available following the approval of the biosimilar pathway, said Marcie Bough, senior director of government affairs, APhA, speaking at an FDA hearing last week.

The FDA Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee has recommended approval of once-daily oral emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Truvada, Gilead Sciences) to reduce the risk of HIV-1 infection among uninfected adults.