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A revised system of classification for rheumatoid arthritis may allow earlier identification of the disease, earlier treatment, and ultimately better patient outcomes.

The implementation of a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) drug warning system can reduce orders for potentially inappropriate medications in hospitalized older patients, according to a study published in the Aug. 9 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, HealthDay News reported.

The Drug Information Association, in collaboration with FDA and the Cardiac Research Safety Consortium, will host Development of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Drugs Conference: State-of-the-Art Cardiovascular Safety Assessments, Oct. 5?6 in Washington, D.C.

There appears to be no association between the use of oral bisphosphonates and the risk of esophageal or gastric cancer, according to research published in the Aug. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, HealthDay News reported.

FDA issued a warning Aug. 12 that the drug lamotrigine (Lamictal, GlaxoSmithKline), approved to treat seizures and bipolar disorder, can cause aseptic meningitis, an inflammation not caused by bacterial infection of the protective membranes (meninges) that cover the brain and spinal cord.

Both the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and National Community Pharmacists Association favor the proposed rule by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that would withdraw existing provisions of the Medicaid pharmacy reimbursement formula under the average manufacturer price (AMP) model.

Underlying a recent FDA-hosted public meeting and workshop was the question of how FDA as a regulatory agency should increase its current oversight of clinical laboratories, specifically those developing genetic tests that may be offered at their own facilities or made available through direct-to-consumer channels.

Thirty-nine states now have a tool to help pharmacists identify at least some questionable prescriptions and suggest when a patient may be doctor-shopping or pharmacy-shopping in order to obtain controlled substances. That tool is the state prescription monitoring program.

FDA advisory committee members voted 25 to 10 to reject a proposed plan to establish a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy for extended-release and long-acting opioid analgesics during the joint meeting on July 23 of the Anesthetic and Life Support Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee in Adelphi, Md.

Community pharmacists face a "War on Drugs" different from the one heard about on the news. This war doesn't even seem to be on lawmakers' radar.

Denying yourself food to protest the policies of a corporate behemoth seems a bit ... extreme. Nonetheless, such an action may be a legitimate warning about the state of retail pharmacy today.

Annoying hair and scalp problems distress many families. Manufacturers offer a number of over-the-counter products that can help.

A Congressional bill aims to boost the capacity for information exchange among state programs that monitor prescription controlled substances and seeks to provide continued grant funding to support such efforts.

Patients often bring their own set of challenges with them to the pharmacy counter and community pharmacists have taken notice. Many have responded by creating programs that not only help patients secure the medication they need, but also offer them ways to make the most of their treatment plans.

Pharmacists speak out about immunizations, sexism in the pharmacy, and $4 prescriptions.

Collaborative practice agreements between physicians and pharmacists will be a reality in Pennsylvania within the next couple of years.

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

San Francisco had the right idea when it banned the sale of tobacco in pharmacies. Then it turned around and allowed the sale in grocery stores and big-box stores. Wal-Mart and Safeway have pharmacies, and they keep on selling cigarettes. Forcing drugstores to take the high road is a lost cause.

The Washington State Board of Pharmacy is revisiting its rules requiring pharmacists to dispense emergency contraceptives.

In a novel collaboration with PBM giant CVS Caremark and its specialty pharmacy Generation Health, PGXL Laboratories will use its expertise in anticoagulants to improve the quality of patient care through pharmacogenetic testing, physician education, and drug-specific software programs.

While genetic testing can identify patients who will be nonresponsive to certain drug therapies, it can also suggest other drugs as treatment options that might work. These may include pharmaceuticals not usually considered for treatment of a particular cancer.

Generic manufacturers and consumer budgets are the big winners in the ongoing voluntary recall of millions of packages of pediatric liquid medications manufactured by McNeil Consumer Healthcare.

The North Dakota secretary of state rejected thousands of signatures from a petition that would have put a measure on the November ballot to end the state?s restrictions on pharmacy ownership, the Associated Press reported.

FDA approved increasing the length of therapy with Valcyte (valganciclovir hydrochloride) in adult kidney-transplant patients at high risk for cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease, according to an Aug. 10 statement made by Genentech Inc.

Infections with the deadly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria contracted in hospitals and other healthcare settings have declined 28% over a 4-year period, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study of about 15 million people.

In the first week of August, the Senate unanimously passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act (S. 3397) to provide for take-back disposal of controlled substances by legitimate users-patients.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) has developed a new resource to make the case for policies that improve medication adherence.

Calcium supplementation is associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI), according to a meta-analysis published online July 29 in BMJ and reported by HealthDay News.

Novartis Vaccines has started shipping the FDA-approved seasonal influenza vaccine Fluvirin to U.S. customers ahead of the 2010&endash;2011 season, allowing healthcare practitioners to initiate protection of their patients well in advance.

Certain lots of Advair Diskus (fluticasone propionate and salmeterol inhalation powder) inhalers that were stolen from a GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) distribution warehouse near Richmond, Va., in August 2009 have recently been found in some pharmacies, according to FDA.