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Congressional action to tighten regulations for compounding pharmacies will not prevent another tragedy such as last year’s fungal meningitis outbreak, according to the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.

After celebrating his 65th birthday at the beach, pharmacist Roger Harris returned to his Anniston, Ala. workplace to find a surprise waiting for him: He had been fired and replaced by a 27 year-old.

Total global spending on prescription medicines will increase by between $205 and $235 billion from 2012 through 2017, reaching more than $1 trillion in 2017, according to a study released Nov. 19.

Independent community pharmacists who want to sell or expand their business can consult with a new network of resources established by AmerisourceBergen Corp.

Improper dosing of chemotherapy in IV bags recently caused a problem among a group of patients in Canada, so the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is cautioning healthcare practitioners about chemotherapy dosing.

FDA has approved the supplemental New Drug Application for tofacitinib citrate (Xeljanz, Pfizer) to include additional patient-reported outcomes data on the label.

The Michigan Senate has approved a bill that would allow medical marijuana to be dispensed by pharmacies throughout the state. However, the vote by the Michigan senators is merely symbolic, as FDA would have to reclassify marijuana as Schedule II to allow such dispensing.

Collaborative care with pharmacists helped to boost medication adherence in patients with acute coronary syndrome after hospital discharge. However, after 12- month follow-up, the proportion of patients who achieved blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol goals were not significantly different from patients treated under usual care, according to a recent study published online for JAMA Internal Medicine.

FDA has approved ibrutinib (Imbruvica, Pharmacyclics and Janssen) to treat patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a rare and aggressive type of blood cancer. It is the second drug with breakthrough therapy designation to receive FDA approval.

Medication adherence rates for HIV patients with associated comorbidities such as mental illness was higher for patients using Walgreens HIV-specialized pharmacies than for patients using the chain’s other retail pharmacies, according to two recently released studies.

Lurasidone HCl (Latuda) reduces depressive symptoms in adult patients with bipolar depression when used as monotherapy and adjunctive therapy to lithium or valproate. This flexibility is important given the multiple unmet needs of patients with bipolar depression, according to two phase 3 studies published recently in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

The U.S. Senate has voted overwhelmingly to adopt tighter regulations for compounding pharmacies and to create a national system that tracks prescription drugs from manufacturers to pharmacies.

Health Mart has launched a marketing support program to help its pharmacy owners attract new customers and find additional revenue sources.

Walgreens has donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross for Typhoon Haiyan disaster-relief efforts.

When pharmacists manage drug therapy for physicians, diabetes patients see a significant improvement in key measures.

The U.S. healthcare system, broken even before the Affordable Care Act, needs a team-based care approach that’s more focused on patients, as well as an increased political effort to advance healthcare, according to researchers speaking at a JAMA media briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on November 12.

Statin therapy is now recommended for approximately 33 million Americans who don’t have cardiovascular disease (CVD), but have an estimated 10-year CV risk of 7.5% or higher. These individuals also have LDL cholesterol between 70 mg/dL and 189 mg/dL, according to new guidelines issued Nov. 12 by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

CMS' new rules for fees, mail order, and delivery of diabetes testing products have created big challenges for patients and the community pharmacists who used to deliver their supplies.

Prescribers treating obese and overweight patients with diabetes now have two new treatment options to consider.

In the wake of last year's fungal meningitis tragedy, the Specialty Sterile Pharmaceutical Society brings a new voice to an industry under fire.

Grass-roots successes achieved at the state and local levels support federal initiatives pursued by the national pharmacy organization.

Patients in rural settings can still receive personalized care from pharmacists. With tele consults, all they need is an internet connection and a laptop.

After manufacturers began printing new warnings on medicine bottles, a smaller percentage of emergency room visits resulted from children taking cold and cough products, according to a study in Pediatrics.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals is shifting its investment strategy to focus on opportunities in cystic fibrosis, according to CFO Ian Smith, who spoke at the Credit Suisse 2013 Healthcare Conference in mid November.

Popular contributor "Goose" Rawlings offers a simple solution to a universal problem.

With obesity rates growing and diabetes diagnoses going up, healthcare providers are focusing on the need to treat GDM in both mother and unborn child.

How can an independent pharmacy survive in the face of competition from the mega-chains? Here's a clue.

When it comes to knowledge of medications and their actions, pharmacists have it way over most physicians. For the sake of the patient, you have to speak up, whether the doc likes it or not.

In disaster relief, inappropriate pharmaceutical donations and/or a disorganized receiving operation can mean that tons of medications go straight into the rubbish.