NACDS, NCPA ask Congress to exempt retail pharmacies from Medicare's DME competitive bidding process
May 9th 2012The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association today urged Congress to allow retail pharmacies to continue providing diabetes testing supplies.
Bill to reign in PBM practices, protect community pharmacies, sponsor says
May 8th 2012A new bill, H.R. 4215, The Medicare Pharmacy Transparency and Fair Audit Act, recently introduced by Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA), would help address 2 big challenges faced by community pharmacists?transparency in setting pharmacy reimbursement and abusive pharmacy audit practices, according to its sponsor.
Retail pharmacists can help smokers kick the habit
May 8th 2012The percentage of Americans who are able to quit smoking has decreased over the past 2 decades, according to a new report, but retail pharmacists can play a key role in reversing that trend, one of the leaders of a team of tobacco researchers told Drug Topics.
Omega-3 shows no benefit for multiple sclerosis, study finds
May 3rd 2012The supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids has no benefit in treating multiple sclerosis, according to a clinical trial that appeared in the JAMA's Archives of Neurology. However, researchers acknowledged the randomized controlled trial was underpowered.
Improvements in warfarin therapy reduce stroke rate, study shows
May 3rd 2012Current use of warfarin as a stroke prevention therapy in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation is associated with a lower rate of residual stroke or systemic embolism compared with previous data, according to a recent study.
Ship owner sues CVS over San Francisco collision
May 1st 2012Owners of a ship that slammed into the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 2007 are trying to blame California pharmacists for the crash, claiming that they "recklessly" provided prescription medications that clouded the judgment of the ship?s pilot.
Innovation to control costs, access to care are top healthcare issues, survey says
April 26th 2012More than 75% of the nation's opinion leaders believe that the best way to control healthcare costs is through discovering innovative ways to deliver services, according to the new NEHI Innovation Barometer survey.
Lower rates of intracranial hemorrhage seen with Pradaxa
April 26th 2012Twice-daily dabigatran etexilate mesylate (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingleheim) was shown to be associated with lower rates of fatal and traumatic intracranial hemorrhage compared with warfarin, according to a retrospective subanalysis published online, April 5, in Stroke, the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Novartis updates Gilenya label to include stronger cardiac warnings after FDA review
April 24th 2012Novartis has agreed with FDA to update US prescribing information on fingolimod (Gilenya) to include updated patient selection parameters based on certain cardiovascular considerations to aid in the identification of candidates for Gilenya.
Walgreens CEO, now heading up NACDS board, stresses new role of community pharmacists
April 24th 2012The new chairman of the board of the National Association of Chain Drugs Stores emphasized that community pharmacies provide the value of ?an improved health outcome that only a face-to-face encounter with a community pharmacist can accomplish.?
New system transmits CPE data, credits electronically
April 24th 2012The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and ACPE providers have teamed up to create the CPE Monitor. This new system will allow for the electronic transmission of continuing pharmacy education data.