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Label prescribing information for dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim) capsules has been updated to affirm that the 150-mg twice-daily dose is superior to warfarin in reducing ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Daily vitamin D (≤400 IU) and calcium (1,000 mg) supplements for the primary prevention of fractures in postmenopausal women are no longer recommended as they don't help prevent fractures and may cause harm, according to draft guidance from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

U.S. Marshals recently seized misbranded Global Biotechnologies dietary supplements at the request of the FDA, and per a warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, according to an FDA statement.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may prevent the development of skin cancer, according to a new study, published online first in the journal Cancer on May 29.

With the help of the National Community Pharmacists Association, community pharmacists are taking on the issue of medication nonadherence, which costs the nation about $300 billion each year, the organization announced in a recent statement.

FDA has approved pertuzumab (Perjeta, Roche) in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and docetaxel chemotherapy for the treatment of people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who have not received prior anti-HER2 therapy or chemotherapy for metastatic disease.

FDA has approved gabapentin enacarbil (Horizant, GlaxoSmithKline and XenoPort) extended-release tablets for the management of postherpetic neuralgia in adults.

Botanical Laboratories Inc. is recalling 38 bottles of 33.8-oz. "Wellesse Digestive 3 in 1 Health" liquid dietary supplement and 275 bottles of 16-oz. liquid dietary supplement, after a supplier said one of the ingredients could be contaminated with Salmonella, which can be fatal in young children, frail and elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

A bill has passed in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 436, the "Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2012") that will allow consumers to purchase OTC medications through their flexible health spending accounts and health savings accounts without first obtaining a prescription.

The American Pharmacists Association's website, www.pharmacist.com, is back online. The organization learned that their computer servers were accessed by an unauthorized person or persons on the evening of May 28, according to a statement on the website. As soon as the information was received, APhA shut down the site to protect users and the content.

Sandoz, a division of Novartis, is voluntarily recalling 10 lots of its generic oral contraceptive Introvale (levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol) tablets in the United States, after a consumer reported a packaging flaw.

The industry should collaborate to develop a U.S. Biopharmacopeia Registry of Biopharmaceutical Products to help resolve biosimilar and broader biopharmaceutical nomenclature issues, according to a leading author and publisher.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is partnering with providers, caregivers, and patients to ensure appropriate use of antipsychotic medications for nursing home patients, the government announced last week.

The Obama administration?s plan to close the racial and ethnic gap on childhood asthma has drawn strong support from the Merck Childhood Asthma Network.

Intensive control of blood-sugar levels among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus may reduce the risk of microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria, signs of kidney damage, but evidence is lacking regarding the effect over renal end points, according to the results of a study published May 28 in Archives of Internal Medicine.

The Health Data Initiative Forum III: The Health Datapalooza cohosted by the Institute of Medicine and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is convening this week in Washington, DC, focusing on innovative applications and services that harness the power of open data from HHS and other sources to help improve health and healthcare.

Patients taking statins for the first time demonstrated better medication adherence if they participated in face-to-face counseling sessions with a community pharmacist than patients who did not, according to a new study by Walgreens.

Walgreens, the nation's largest drugstore chain, and OptumRx, one of the largest pharmacy benefit managers in the United States, today announced they will extend a multi-year agreement that provides access to OptumRx's members at Walgreens' 7,800 locations.

The American Pharmacists Association was forced to take its website offline this week after the site was hacked into and defaced.

The most destructive thing an employer can do to an employee is to assign tasks that are impossible to accomplish. Retail chain pharmacists experience this daily.

A number of pharmacy groups are protesting an amendment changing the classification of hydrocodone-containing pain relief products from Schedule III to the more restrictive Schedule II under the Controlled Substances Act.

Three major pharmacy associations have sent recommendations to FDA for maximizing the health benefit and costs savings of generic biologic products.

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.