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Pennsylvania is considering not licensing hospitals that fail to lower their hospital-acquired infection rates. This is a move that worries some pharmacists.

More than half of physicians prefer two drugs in a single-pill combination for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, and managed care organizations (MCOs) said they would relegate Novartis' Exforge, which combines amlodipine (Norvasc, Pfizer) and valsartan (Diovan, Novartis), to Tier 3 of their formularies, according to a new report issued by Decision Resources.

A new study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, concludes that the more cigarette marketing teens are exposed to in retail stores, the more likely they are to smoke, and that restricting these retail marketing practices would reduce smoking among teens.

Know Your Number predicts the onset of preventable disease, compares your current health status against that of your peers, reveals what chronic disease risks are modifiable, and lets you know what factors are contributing to the risk of developing specific chronic conditions.

An eight-hour air quality test in a Rite Aid store in Clayton, N.J., where five employees reportedly fell ill recently, has found levels of benzene and chloroform that were higher than state standards. Results of the test, taken April 20 by Rite Aid consultants, were forwarded to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Lotus Blossom Consulting, which helps individuals coping with infertility, is offering clients access to the HEART (Helping Expand Access to Reproductive Therapy) program, sponsored by Ferring Pharmaceuticals. The program offers qualified infertility patients up to 25% of the medication used in an average treatment cycle free of charge, a savings of $250.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) has launched a campaign designed to stop the dangerous trend of teens abusing cough medicines to get high. The Five Moms: Stopping Cough Medicine Abuse Campaign is an on-line, grassroots effort to raise parental awareness about this substance abuse problem and to offer resources.

The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has launched a Pharmacy Affairs Program that will focus on federal, legislative, and regulatory issues.

NCPA has issued a sharply worded statement disputing a PCMA study that asserted that the Community Pharmacy Fairness Act of 2007 would increase Medicare Part D drug costs nearly $30 billion over five years. The act, which was introduced in the House of Representatives and has 124 cosponsors, would allow independent pharmacies to negotiate collectively with PBMs.

In a letter to Sen. Michael Enzi (R, Wyo.), NACDS bestowed its first "Community Pharmacy Great Communicator" designation on him to recognize his comments on the Senate floor about the important role of community pharmacy in improved patient outcomes.

The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) has released new data guidelines for electronic data interchange (EDI) that are designed to help distributors more efficiently provide inventory, sales, and other product information to manufacturers.

NCPA has launched OwnershipRx, an on-line resource offering pharmacy owners financial and educational tools to improve store management.

The FDA's plan to extend the current black box warning on antidepressants has met with opposition from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), a patient-run organization. The group charges that adding a warning of the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in young people between the ages of 18 and 24 years could lead to higher numbers of untreated patients and potential for an increased risk of suicide.

According to the results of an exclusive on-line survey conducted by Drug Topics, an overwhelming majority, pharmacists support a pathway for follow-on or generic biologics.

The FDA has issued a warning to the drug industry as a whole to ensure that the nation's supply of glycerin is not contaminated with diethylene glycol (DEG), a known poison that can cause death if accidentally ingested. Drug manufacturers, suppliers, drug repackers, and health professionals who compound medications are instructed to test glycerin for contamination prior to its use in the manufacture or preparation of pharmaceutical products.

The FDA is advising consumers not to purchase or use True Man and Energy Max products promoted and sold as dietary supplements throughout the U.S. Both products—touted as sexual enhancement aids and treatments for erectile dysfunction (ED)—are illegal products that contain potentially harmful, undeclared ingredients.

Medicaid prescription reimbursement information by state

XLHealth Corp. is adding medication therapy management to its Care Improvement Plus Medicare Advantage plan in Arkansas, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, South Carolina, and Texas.

Latebreakers: First bird flu vaccine approved

The use of intravenous (IV) syringes for non-IV applications such as enteral feedings poses many risks, especially for the pediatric and neonatal population which has a majority of their oral and enteral doses provided through a gastric tube. The Baxa Corporation recently announced the launch of a new educational campaign to make healthcare providers aware of these problems and offer solutions.

In 1951 pharmacies selling tobacco products was highly profitable for pharmacies, which were concerned with the increased use of local taxes on the products.

New drugs pending for prostate cancer: sipuleucel-T; DCVax-Prostate; satraplatin

Michigan ranks among top states in teen abuse of Rx drugs The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and local Detroit experts urged parents to take action against the alarmingly high rate of teen prescription drug abuse in Michigan.

UnitedHealth Pharmaceutical Solutions (UHPS) lowered the co-pay for CFC-free brand-name inhalers.

According to a study by PBM Express Scripts, spending on biotech drugs increased 21% in 2006.

The FDA and manufacturer Acorda Therapeutics have made changes to the Contraindications and Warnings sections of the prescribing information for tizanidine (Zanaflex), regarding coadministration with CYP1A2 inhibitors.

On April 10, CVS workers employed at the West Grand Boulevard location in Detroit became the third group to seek representation by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 876.

NACDS has issued a new study on new product introductions, chartered by the NACDS Advisory Board and conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Texas pharmacists concerned with CMS’ upcoming switch to average manufacturers price (AMP) for calculating generic drug reimbursement for Medicaid are looking to the state legislature to boost the dispensing fee.

AARP and Consumers Union are backing two N.Y. bills that would impose limitations on drug marketing and lobbying.