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As healthcare moves swiftly toward a more comprehensive electronic platform, pharmacies will be required to upgrade their claim submission standard from NCPDP 5.1 to NCPDP D.0, an updated version of the HIPAA standard for pharmacy claims transactions.

It's complicated. Those words sum up the current status and apparent future of biosimilars.

Very soon the pharmacist will be the primary care provider for all colds, stuffy noses, sore throats, and coughs. This is your chance. Take it or leave it.

Whether the cause is a vacation sports accident or a summer home-repair job gone wrong, patients will be looking for first aid help, from antiseptics to bandages to pain relief.

As with many things in medicine, the use of pill-splitting can have both positive and negative consequences, depending on how it is applied.

What matters most in life is what you do next.

A survey of new Rx, new generic, and new OTC products

Advocates are hoping for a new push in Congress to control rogue online pharmacies, according to Bryan A. Liang, professor at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine and vice president of the Partnership for Safe Medicine.

FDA has approved emtricitabine/rilpivirine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Complera, Gilead Sciences), a complete single-tablet regimen for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in treatment-naïve adults.

American Regent Inc. is conducting a nationwide voluntary recall of multiple lots of Vasopressin Injection, USP from the retail/hospital level.

A new report from the Institute of Medicine recommends that 8 preventive health services for women be added to the services that health plans will cover at no cost to patients under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.

On August 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a final rule that will update Medicare payment policies and rates for hospitals in fiscal year 2012.

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) is accepting nominations for its annual profession-wide awards and honors. The awards will be presented at the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans, March 9-12, 2012. The awards represent the pharmacy profession?s most comprehensive recognition program.

The National Community Pharmacists Association is launching a new educational program on medication adherence geared toward pharmacists.

Pharmacies can play a valuable role in helping patients prepare for the upcoming flu season. That includes administering influenza vaccinations, according to results of a public-private partnership campaign in Palm Beach, Fla. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores highlighted the results of the partnership in a report it co-authored that was published in the September/October issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

A new campaign and white paper from the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association that blasts the ?drugstore lobby? is riddled with mistakes and misleading statements, according to the National Community Pharmacists Association.

FDA issued a warning last week that chronic high doses (400 mg/day to 800 mg/day) of fluconazole (Diflucan) during the first trimester of pregnancy may be associated with specific birth defects in infants. However, according to the Safety Alert released August 3, the risk does not appear to be associated with the single low dose of fluconazole (150 mg) that is used to treat vaginal yeast infection (candidiasis).

As pharmacy groups protest the massive pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) merger of Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions, a new survey demonstrates the impact of PBMs on pharmacy businesses.

More doctors who are not psychiatrists are prescribing antidepressants, making these drugs the third most commonly prescribed group of medications in the United States, according to a study published in the August issue of Health Affairs.

Programs designed to support the care of older patients as they make the transition from the hospital to outside clinicians and healthcare settings are associated with reduced rates of hospital readmissions, according to 2 reports in the July 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

FDA has approved a subcutaneous (SC) formulation of abatacept (Orencia, Bristol-Myers Squibb) for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is the first biologic available in both SC and intravenous formulations for the treatment of RA.

FDA has issued a 90-day extension of the action date for Pfizer?s Prevnar 13 (Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine [Diphtheria CRM197 Protein]) in adults 50 years of age and older.

While Medicare and Medicaid were exempted from budget cuts in the initial debt agreement reached by the U.S. House and Senate this week, they could be up for cuts later this year.

The Independent Specialty Pharmacy Coalition, a group of community-based specialty pharmacies, called on the Federal Trade Commission to block Express Scripts? proposed acquisition of Medco.

A new white paper examines the costs of medication nonadherence and suggests solutions.

Johnson and Johnson has announced plans for new dosing instructions that lower the maximum daily dose for single-ingredient Extra Strength Tylenol (acetaminophen) products sold in the United States from 8 pills per day (4,000 mg) to 6 pills per day (3,000 mg).

Federal regulators should take the lead in creating a national system to keep tabs on chronic diseases and provide guidance for stakeholders across the country, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) announced.

The significant decrease in the death rate from the varicella virus, or chickenpox, can be attributed to the effectiveness of the chickenpox vaccine, according to a new study in a recent issue of Pediatrics.

As a result of combined investigations by FDA, the IRS Criminal Division, and the U.S. Department of Justice, Elisane Garcia was sentenced on July 25 for disguising controlled substances as "Brazilian diet pills" and smuggling them into the United States with intent to distribute. She was also convicted of 1 count of money-laundering.

If the U.S. Congress fails to reach a consensus on the deficit issue by August 2, there could be significant impact on Medicare and other federal programs, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores announced today.