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UnitedHealthcare has announced that BioScrip has been named a specialty pharmacy provider of HIV/AIDS and solid organ transplant drugs and services for its members through December 2008.

Congress inserted a little-noticed provision into the Iraq war supplemental spending bill, mandating the use of tamper-resistant Rx pads for Medicaid prescriptions not submitted electronically.

Results showed 23% of dermatologists now utilize photodynamic therapy to treat actinic keratosis, and 50% of dermatologists have decreased their reliance on antibiotics to treat acne out of concern for growing resistance.

Extina Foam, from Stiefel Laboratories, contains 2% ketoconazole and is approved by the FDA for the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis in immunocompetent patients 12 years of age and older.

The report gives side-by-side comparisons of 11 drugs used to treat the condition.

Saint Alphonsus is a 365-licensed bed regional medical center serving Idaho, northern Nevada, and eastern Oregon.

Waters Corp. has announced the release of its MassTrak Immunosuppressant Kit for monitoring tacrolimus blood levels in kidney and liver transplant patients.

New studies suggest that widely used antianemia drugs may seriously harm cancer patients.

Community pharmacies should seek accreditation so they can continue to serve patients under the Medicare Part B DMEPOS program.

The NACDS Marketplace Conference 2007 showcased a slew of new otcs/hbcs. A Town hall meeting discussed how to improve the front end of the pharmacy.

Many FDA-approved drugs on the market are available in multiple product formulations; it's critical for pharmacists to recognize these differences.

FDA and AHRQ heard from pharmacists and others that RiskMAPs have often caused complications in medication dispensing. Current drugs with RiskMAPs include Clozapine, Thalidomide, Lindane and Isotretinoin.

This fall there are a host of new products to treat lice and there are many companies that are currently working on new treatments.

Skin cancer diagnoses are on the rise with more than one million cases of skin cancer diagnosed in the U.S. this year. But despite the statistics, only a handful of late-stage agents remain in development for metastatic melanoma.

There is still inadequate communication among pharmacists from different practice settings about patients' medications. Pharmacists should take ownership of medication reconciliation.

Changes to formularies continue to be among the most frustrating aspects of the Medicare prescription drug benefit for pharmacists and physicians, and most confusing to beneficiaries.

Insurers cut back on coverage of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

Pseudoephedrine tracking systems improve on the log book to reduce burden on pharmacies and help law enforcement.

Drug therapies for Alzheimer's disease, have the ability to reduce functional and cognitive decline but don't necessarily work for all patients.

Ambrisentan (Letairis) from Gilead Sciences, Inc. has been approved by the FDA for patients with PAH (WHO Group 1) with WHO Functional Class II or III symptoms.

HealthMatics ED system is a software application that automates an emergency department, from patient tracking to clinical documentation.

Smart pumps must be part of a smart system to actually boost patient safety and improve outcomes.

Inviro Medical Devices has introduced an integral write-on stripe, Invirostripe, to its complete line of manually retractable InviroSNAP! safety syringes.

Aromatherapy is a complementary and alternative medicine offering patients of a large Indianapolis health system some relief from the stress associated with chronic illnesses, including cancer, and women's health issues.

ASHP had devloped a draft of proposals to Joint Commission.

Time for a push for greater use of medication lists by consumers, with a standard format for those lists.

Patient takes tramadol 100 mg every six hours for chronic back pain; other medications include two lithium carbonate, extended release tablets, ziprasidone, temazepam, and trazodone.

Controversy surrounding rosiglitazone (Avandia) and cardiac risk prompted a special symposium at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

Developing a program to prevent over-prescribing of antibiotics will increase effectiveness of the drugs and save money.

Researchers at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting stressed that treatment more targeted, with fewer side effects, than before - and cancer deaths are down for the first time in 70 years.