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Looking for discounts in specialty drugs? If so, consider Armada Health Care.

CMS has come out with a final rule that says it will not pay hospitals if Medicare patients catch a hospital-acquired infection.

The Phi Delta Chi Pharmacy Fraternity has promised to raise $200,000 over the next four years for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Though they are efficient, abbreviations in health care pose a threat to patient safety.

A new law signed by Gov. Jon Corzine earlier this month requires all hospitals in the Garden State to test patients in ICUs for methicillin-resistant S. aureus.

The 2008 premium is $16 less than the $41 estimate CMS provided when the benefit was first established, and $2 less than its most recent projection.

Duane Reade Holdings and Consumer Health Services (CHS), a manager of on-site physician-centric consumer healthcare, have announced a formal affiliation agreement with Continuum Health Partners, one of the major hospital and healthcare providers in the New York City area.

Duane Reade Holdings has expanded its service offering at the Duane Reade Diabetes Resource Center.

Duane Reade and HealthTrans have announced that Duane Reade?s Performance Script Network has been awarded a two-year contract to provide prescription drug benefit services to the members of a retail, wholesale, and department store union.

Entecavir (Baraclude, Bristol-Myers Squibb) should not be used in patients coinfected by HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) who are not also receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), according to an FDA-issued warning to healthcare professionals.

Alaska has become the last state to join a national network that delivers electronic prescriptions to pharmacists.

Following the death of a 13-day-old infant, the FDA has issued a public health advisory alerting mothers of the risk of taking codeine while breastfeeding.

The FDA has issued an advisory warning for parents never to give cough and cold medicines to children under the age of two unless instructed to do so by a doctor.

Terminally ill patients have no Constitutional right to be treated with experimental drugs, a federal appeals court has ruled.

The guide evaluates the use of Abilify, Zyprexa, Seroquel, Risperdal, and Geodon.

The final language includes provisions requiring pedigree outside the normal distribution channel, which includes drop shipments; a surety bond; criminal background checks and continuing training for designated representatives; penalties and discipline language; and a directive requiring the board to establish—prior to July 1, 2009—an implementation date for electronic pedigree.

The FDA is warning consumers not to buy or eat three red yeast rice products sold on Web sites as dietary supplements for treating high cholesterol.

The advisers recommended that the agency approve proposed changes to iPLEDGE, a computer-based distribution program and pregnancy registry that provides a closed-loop system for prescribing, dispensing, and distributing isotretinoin, a drug that can cause birth defects, miscarriages, and premature births, according to the FDA.

The legislation would grant the agency authority to crack down on tobacco marketing and sales to kids; require that tobacco companies disclose the contents of tobacco products and reduce or remove harmful ingredients; stop tobacco companies from misleading the public about the health risk of their products; and require larger, more effective health warnings on tobacco products.

Under the plan, individuals with a detectable viral load following treatment with telbivudine for six months will be reimbursed for out-of-pocket costs.

The Nevada State Board of Pharmacy has fined a Las Vegas hospital $10,000 and suspended three of its pharmacists for errors that have led to the death of a premature baby last fall.

Because so many questions remain about what medication therapy management claims processing should look like, NCPDP held a meeting last month to consider whether it should set up a work group to address these issues.

Part of the standards deal specifically with physician practice, pharmacy, and the Part D benefit.

A new law in the Ohio allows pharmacists to administer vaccines to patients 14 years or older and adds meningitis, diphtheria, and pertussis vaccines.

TRICARE has the highest-rated health insurance plan for the fifth consecutive year, according to a survey of more than 33,500 U.S. consumers. Kaiser Permanente regained its top-HMO rating in this year's WilsonRx Health Insurance Satisfaction Survey.

The Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board has a new man at the top. It's Tom Murry from North Carolina. Like his predecessor Ken Baker, Murry is both a pharmacist and lawyer by training.

Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah has introduced a generic drug plan to be used for antidepressants. Beginning next month, Regence said it will need prior authorization before filling prescriptions for some brand-name drugs.

Abbott has issued a Dear Healthcare Professional letter to convey the report of an accidental overdose of lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra) oral solution that led to the death of an infant.

Drug class gets stronger warning of heart risk

The Minnesota Dental Association has adopted new guidelines released by the American Heart Association and the American Dental Association.