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FDA announced May 18 to the public new restrictions to the prescribing, dispensing, and use of rosiglitazone-containing medications (Avandia, Avandamet, and Avandaryl, GlaxoSmithKline [GSK]) as part of a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy.

ASHP names Abramowitz EVP and CEO-designate

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists board of directors recently selected Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmD, FASHP, as executive vice president and CEO-designate.

Adult patients with schizophrenia treated with lurasidone HCl tablets (Latuda, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals) had minimal weight gain and metabolic changes, according to the results from a new pooled data analysis of short- and long-term studies, which were presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in Honolulu, Hawaii.

For the fourth consecutive year, diabetes therapy topped the list of contributors to drug use trends in therapeutic categories, contributing 16.1% to overall growth in drug spending in 2010 due to an increasing number of patients, according to the recently released 2011 Medco Drug Trend Report, which tracks utilization and spending.

Denosumab (Xgeva, Amgen) significantly increased bone metastasis-free survival for more than 4 months in men with castrate-resistant metastatic prostate cancer that had not yet spread to bone, according to results of a landmark study of Xgeva, presented at a late-breaking plenary session at the American Urological Association's 2011 annual meeting in Washington, DC.

FDA has approved boceprevir (Victrelis, Merck) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 infection, in combination with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin, in adult patients aged 18 years and older with compensated liver disease.

The American Pharmacists Association is encouraging seniors to contact their pharmacists during Older Americans Month to gain better knowledge of the medications they are taking and to learn about available wellness opportunities.

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has signed into law S.B. 2445, which reauthorizes the state?s Pharmacy Practice Act and requires pharmacy benefit managers to be subject to oversight by the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy.

The National Lipid Association kicked off, "FH: It's Relative-Know Your Family Cholesterol History," a public health campaign about familial hypercholesterolemia, on May 18.

Makers of OTC single-ingredient pediatric liquid acetaminophen will convert these products to just 1 concentration, according to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.

APhA's white paper focusing on improving REMS programs and designing a system that maximizes patient safety while minimizing burdens on the healthcare system was published in the May/June issue of the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association.

Diane Wallace, vice president of shopper marketing for Coca-Cola, was recently elected as a board member to the NACDS Foundation?s board of directors.

The NACDS Foundation awarded $320,000 in pharmacy scholarships at its annual meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., April 30 to May 3.

Richard D. Loeffler stressed the pressing need for ?active diligence? in engaging with federal and state lawmakers in his inaugural address as chairman of the NACDS board of directors at the organization?s recent annual meeting.

Are pharmacies subcontractors when they fill prescriptions for TRICARE, the federal health program for military personnel? Not according to the National Association of Chain Drugs Stores.

Frustrated by its lack of success at reining in drug-company abuses, FDA is bringing back a legal doctrine spawned by long-dead rodents to bring criminal charges against pharmaceutical executives, including executives who had no personal knowledge of company misdeeds.

If the Affordable Care Act makes pharmacists primary care providers, the profession gains a host of advantages, including Medicare provider status. For AACP, the goal is eligibility for student loan forgiveness under the NHSC.

Reimbursement and medication adherence issues will be front and center at the PQA/URAC Medication Adherence Summit in Washington, D.C., June 2 and 3.

Pharmacists need to leverage any tool that will minimize the demands placed on them and reduce distractions that can lead to medication errors, longer patient waiting time, and other complications. One available tool is the call center.

Antibiotic use is rising at Veterans Affairs medical facilities across the country, according to study findings released recently at the annual meeting of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America in Dallas.

A recent state appellate court decision in California could help pharmacists claim meal and rest breaks they are due under state labor law. The case, which involved United Parcel Service workers, affirmed workers' right to up to 2 hours of extra pay daily.

Pharmacists at the University of California San Francisco are in the process of bringing one of the world's largest and most advanced robotic pharmacies online.

A roundup of reports on risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism; direct factor Xa inhibitors; and managing clopidogrel hypersensitivity

Under Senate Bill 60, the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy would be required to approve one or more continuing education courses addressing cultural competency in healthcare treatment.

With no cure for seasonal allergic rhinitis available, sufferers seeking symptomatic relief will welcome the following OTC options.

Wide-scale pill-splitting as a cost-containing measure is practiced by such large healthcare systems as the West Coast VA, Kaiser, and United Healthcare. The practice may serve the bottom line. But does it serve the patients?

As part of an overall federal strategy on the prescription drug epidemic, FDA announced in late April that it will require a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy for all long-acting and extended-release opioids.

A 2-year study found that a pharmacy-directed anticoagulation service boosted the quality and efficiency of care for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in patients using direct thrombin inhibitors.

As long as pharmacists work in such understaffed conditions, the repeated promise of more time spent with the patient will never be a reality.