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A key provision of the Affordable Care Act kicked in January 1 when Medicare beneficiaries who have Part D but don?t get the low-income subsidy ?Extra Help? began receiving a 50% discount under the Medicare Coverage Gap Discount Program on applicable drugs at point of sale. The following article explains how pharmacies should prepare.

Many serious or potentially fatal adverse reactions associated with new, targeted anti-cancer agents are not reported in the original published research on the drug, and they are not known to oncologists until years later when drug labels are updated, including boxed warnings, according to research published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, HealthDay News reported.

Patients who are newly treated with statin-fibrate concurrent therapy are slightly more likely to be hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis than those who take just one of the medications, according to research published in the American Journal of Cardiology, HealthDay News reported.

Daily aspirin over at least 5 years appears to greatly reduce mortality from gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal cancers, according to research published online in The Lancet, HealthDay News reported.

Diabetes Health magazine launched Diabetes Health Pharmacist, a 24-page, bimonthly, online publication aimed at a readership of 25,000 U.S. licensed pharmacists. The magazine debuted in November.

Many serious or potentially fatal adverse reactions associated with new, targeted anti-cancer agents are not reported in the original published research on the drug, and they are not known to oncologists until years later when drug labels are updated, including boxed warnings, according to research published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, HealthDay News reported.

Diabetes Health magazine launched Diabetes Health Pharmacist, a 24-page, bimonthly, online publication aimed at a readership of 25,000 U.S. licensed pharmacists. The magazine debuted in November.

The directions and devices provided with OTC liquid medicines for kids are often inconsistent and confusing for parents to follow, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services needs to recognize pharmacy services in its proposed rules for accountable care organizations and the Medicare Shared Savings Program.

State Medicaid programs could save $30 billion over the next decade by replacing fee for service pharmacy programs with managed care programs like those used in Medicare Part D, according to a new report on Medicaid pharmacy spending sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.

A higher prescription co-payment, especially among older women, is associated with the early discontinuation and incomplete use of adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy, a life-saving therapy for women with hormone-sensitive, early-stage breast cancer, research shows.

Patients who switch statins have lower persistence to therapy compared to those who don?t switch, according to a poster recently presented at the 45th midyear meeting of the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists.

Antihypertensive therapy with an ARB is not associated with reductions in cardiovascular or all-cause mortality compared to non-ARB-based regimens in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to researchers at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

FDA announced recently that the injection form of Anzemet (dolasetron mesylate) should no longer be used to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Adolescents living in rural areas are significantly more likely to abuse prescription drugs than their counterparts in urban areas, according to a study published online November 1 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, HealthDay News reported.

DHA supplementation doesn?t appear to slow the rate of cognitive and functional decline in individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer?s disease, according to research published in the November 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, HealthDay News reported.

In a multi-national, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, the selective vitamin D receptor activator paricalcitol (Zemplar, Abbott Laboratories), at doses of 1 µg or 2 µg daily, can reduce albuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes, who were already being treated with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors.

In research published in the October 1 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology, HealthDay News reported, metformin, either alone or in combination with sulfonylurea, appears to increase 1-year and long-term survival in patients with T2DM and CHF.

Independent pharmacists in Ohio are concerned about the state?s new ruling that limits transfers on all prescriptions to one per patient.

"Few patients who are prescribed varenicline to assist in smoking cessation remain on the therapy, according to retrospective data presented during the 45th midyear meeting of the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists."

Treatment of recurrent herpes simplex labialis with combination 5% acyclovir and 1% hydrocortisone cream is safe in adolescents. In a study of a 5-day treatment course, no safety concerns were identified, said Anders Strand, MD, PhD, at the 45th midyear meeting of the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists.

Obesity was associated with worse overall and disease-free survival in women with operable breast cancer treated with adjuvant chemotherapy.

A newly approved drug, denosumab (Xgeva, Amgen), delays skeletal-related side effects for 5 months longer compared to zoledronic acid (Zometa and Reclast, Novartis) in patients with breast cancer and bone metastases, according to phase 3 trial results presented at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

A combination of lapatinib, trastuzumab, and paclitaxel significantly improved tumor response rates in patients with HER2-positive breast cancers, according to a new study presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium held recently in San Antonio, Texas.

A medication for skeleton-related events in patients with bone metastases was shown to significantly improve bone metastasis-free survival rates in prostate cancer patients, according to a new trial.

FDA is recommending removing the breast cancer indication from the label for Avastin (bevacizumab) because the drug has not been shown to be safe and effective for that use.

FDA has approved Gardasil (Merck) for the prevention of anal cancer and associated precancerous lesions due to human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16, and 18 in individuals aged 9 through 26 years.

"NACDS Foundation said it would contribute $1.5 million to increase the availability of pharmacy residency programs for pharmacy graduates?the single largest grant ever awarded for this purpose."

Diagnostic testing, narcotics, and questionable treatment modalities appear to be overused for chronic neck pain, while effective treatments such as therapeutic exercise appear to be underused, according to a study in the November issue of Arthritis Care & Research, HealthDay News reported.

A recently released Institute of Medicine workshop summary indicates there are myriad ideas, including better use of EMRs and research to focus action on the most common elements associated with adverse events.