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FDA approved umeclidinium (Incruse Ellipta, GlaxoSmithKline) once-daily anticholinergic for long-term maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema.

FDA approved ceritinib (Zykadia, Novartis) for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients who use statins are consuming more calories and fats than a decade earlier, increasing the risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Who sez older pharmacists should be put out to pasture? Not these guys - they're too busy working to consider the possibility.

Pfizer announced its interest publicly in acquiring AstraZeneca and reincorporating in Britain, the New York Times reported.

The biggest challenge in tackling opioid abuse is lack of awareness and understanding of addictive diseases, as well as misinformation and negative perceptions of medication-assisted therapies (MATs), according to a recent opinion article published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, defended the agency’s approval of the powerful opioid Zohydro ER (hydrocodone bitartrate) extended-release capsules, explaining that its highest dose is no more potent than the highest strengths of the opioid OxyContin ER (oxycodone) extended-release and extended-release morphine, in an FDA blog posted April 29.

FDA approved ramucirumab (Cyramza, Eli Lilly) to treat patients with advanced stomach cancer or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

Gov. Scott Walker recently signed a bill into law authorizing physician-pharmacist collaboration in any patient setting throughout Wisconsin.

Pharmacist-led care with prescribing authority substantially improved risk factors at 6 months among stroke survivors versus nurse case managers who monitored patients and provided feedback to their primary care physicians, according to a report published in the Canadian Medical Association’s journal, CMAJ.

The owner of a historic Des Moines, Iowa pharmacy faces up to 250 years in prison following his recent indictment on 16 federal charges, including conspiracy to distribute drugs, tax evasion, and wire fraud.

Since the late 1990s, USA300, a strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has spread across the United States, contributing to an epidemic of community-associated [CA] MRSA. The strains can persist in residential homes after infections, and appear to be linked to high usage of fluoroquinolones, according to a study published in the Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences.

FDA is requiring that drug labels for injectable corticosteroids used to treat neck and back pain must be updated to include a warning of rare but serious adverse events, including vision loss, stroke, paralysis, and death, according to a recent FDA drug safety communication.

From controlled substances to retail chains in trouble and back to controlled substances, Drug Topics readers found plenty to talk about during the month of April.

There are associations and boards representing pharmacists in all sorts of settings. Now, there is a national association to support pharmacists who dispense marijuana products to treat specialty diseases.

An 18-month statewide program to decrease painkiller prescriptions and lower addiction risks resulted in 6.6 million fewer doses dispensed, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts recently announced.

Despite strong FDA warnings against its use in adolescents, a new study suggests that codeine is prescribed for children during at least 500,000 emergency room (ER) visits each year.

Pharmacists who contacted high-risk patients within 72 hours of discharge from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, found more than half of the patients had medication-related issues. In a different group of high-risk patients who had received inpatient interventions, 35% of patients were found to have issues after a pharmacist reviewed their medications just prior to discharge, according to Laura Carr, PharmD.

CVS Pharmacy is once again in hot water regarding its handling and dispensing of controlled substances-this time being sued by an insurer and 18 states that claim the pharmacy chain collected hundreds of millions for invalid prescriptions that were diverted to the black market.

The number of pharmacist jobs in South Carolina increased over the past four years, and the number of pharmacists nearing retirement is likely to create jobs for new graduates, according to a new report.

An eight-week regimen of ledipasvir-sofosbuvir was highly effective in treating non-cirrhotic HCV patients with genotype infection.

Nearly one-third of the ADHD-diagnosed foster-care youth received atypical antipsychotics regardless of age group.

The sublingual tablet provides a new treatment option for patients who decline allergy shots

A federal judge has blocked Massachusetts’ attempt to ban the controversial new painkiller Zohydro ER, which law enforcement officials, politicians, and some healthcare officials fear will dramatically increase opioid overdose deaths.

In a surprising shift, total U.S. spending on medicines increased 3.2% on a nominal basis in 2013 after several years of declining spending, according to a new report.

Study finds that targeting the pharmacy service to patients who are most likely to benefit is important.

“Healthcare professionals should consider whether the benefits of Doribax treatment are likely to exceed its potential risks in patients who develop pneumonia while on ventilators,” says FDA.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will collect unused medications at sites across the country during its National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on April 26.

For one day only, Google will make its Goggle Glass computer available for sales to any adult in the United States. Up until now, the technology has not been available to the general public.

A recent victory for New York State pharmacists fighting against reduced Medicaid reimbursements may be a victory for pharmacists across the country.