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Pharmacists speak out about quota systems, pain management, sexism in the work place, and pharmacy tobacco sales.

FDA has determined to significantly restrict the use of formulations that contain rosiglitazone (Avandia, Avandamet, and Avandaryl, GlaxoSmithKline) to patients with Type 2 diabetes who cannot control their diabetes with other medications.

The need to find balance in her own life led Anna Garrett, PharmD, to establish the National Association for Women in Health Care, an organization committed to helping nurses, pharmacists, and other women healthcare professionals take care of themselves.

Want to save $1 million annually on pharmacy costs? Go lean, as in lean management. That's what Elkhart General Hospital did with medication administration.

Pharmacies soon may be stocking their shelves with laboratory-developed tests that first require FDA approval.

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

For this pharmacist, the best education is in magazine advertisements. The ads give the big three: What the drug does. Why it is better than the others on the market. What the dangers are.

Recalling the desperate fight for life that was waged by juvenile diabetes patients not even a century ago, "Breakthrough: The Dramatic Story of the Discovery of Insulin" will be on view at the New York Historical Society from October 2010 through January 2011.

Each year, community pharmacists are recognized by their peers through nominations for Drug Topics' annual Top Independent Pharmacists awards, which honor 3 pharmacists or pharmacy teams for their contributions to local life.

From medication therapy management to diabetes self-management education programs, retail pharmacists have begun to solidify a new role for themselves on the healthcare team.

Pfizer plans to acquire King Pharmaceuticals for $3.6 billion in cash, expanding its current portfolio of treatments for pain relief and pain management.

Abbott is complying with FDA's request to withdraw sibutramine (Meridia) from the U.S. market because the obesity drug may pose unnecessary cardiovascular (CV) risks to patients.

The DEA has changed its policy and now recognizes long-term-care nurses as agents of prescribers of Schedule C-III through C-V medications, according to a Federal Register notice released today.

Aneesh Chopra, the nation?s first Chief Technology Officer, will deliver a keynote address at the 2010 mHealth Summit on Tuesday, November 9, according to summit organizers.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), working with government, community, public health, and law enforcement partners, will hold a prescription drug "Take-Back" initiative that seeks to prevent increased pill abuse and theft.

The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters has launched the National Registry of Certified Medical Interpreters, which serves as a central online resource to verify the credentials of Certified Medical Interpreters.

Many awards were presented at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Pharmacy & Technology Conference, but the Association?s highest honor, the Harold W. Pratt Award, was bestowed upon industry leader Joe Conda, senior vice president of strategic planning at H.D. Smith.

The 13th edition of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) 2010-2011 Chain Pharmacy Industry Profile provides economic impact data, national and state-by-state information, and facts on retail and pharmacy trends.

A new website being launched by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), www.PharmacyMatching.com, will bring together independent pharmacy owners preparing to sell their pharmacies, existing owners who desire additional stores, and entrepreneurs seeking to become pharmacy owners.

Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. is in the race to end prostate cancer as an official sponsor of the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge/Dash for Dad, a series of races in the United States, led by ZERO ? The Project to End Prostate Cancer.

Kerr Drug, a community pharmacy that pioneered the training of clinical pharmacists to administer vaccines to patients, is launching an effort to meet the demand for flu shots. The company is beginning its flu shot campaign earlier than ever this year and providing vaccinations during operating hours at all its stores throughout North Carolina, with no appointments necessary.

Hospitalization rates for peptic ulcer disease and Helicobacter pylori infection have decreased substantially since 1998, according to an analysis in the September issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, HealthDay News reported.

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.