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Walgreens and the Joslin Diabetes Center, a global leader in diabetes research, care, and education, have formed an alliance to improve health outcomes for Americans with diabetes.

NACDS has selected the executive search firm of Russell Reynolds Associates to work with the NACDS search committee in recruiting a new president/CEO.

Patients with cardiovascular disease are more likely to die from influenza than are patients with any other chronic condition, according to the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. In a scientific advisory, the organizations are now recommending that cardiologists give flu shots to their patients in an attempt to reverse these odds.

Rosiglitazone (Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline) reduced the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 62%, according to study results presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

According to an analysis of prescription drug alerts conducted by Medco Health Solutions, the greater the number of physicians seen by a patient over age 65, the greater the number of prescriptions the patient fills, and, thus, the greater risk for dangerous drug errors.

In response to a lawsuit filed by the Center for Medicare Advocacy, CMS has agreed to halt its efforts to recover the more than $50 million it mistakenly sent some 230,000 Medicare beneficiaries.

CMS has begun preparations for the 2007 Medicare Part D benefit, releasing a draft of Chapter 6 of the Medicare Part D manual, a checklist for drug coverage plans, and announcing the release of a new version of the E1 system that will go live in December.

A study by Wolters Kluwer Health projects that by year?s end, approximately six million people—35% of all Medicare Part D enrollees—will have entered the donut hole coverage gap.

Hospital products giant Hospira Inc., based in Lake Forrest, Ill., announced that it will acquire Australia?s Mayne Pharma Limited for $2 billion.

Large majorities of pharmacists (86%) and physicians (71%) believe that the Medicare Part D prescription drug law is helping people on Medicare save money on medications, but respondents gave the program only a C- grade.

A new report from Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs

In a recently conducted survey by America?s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), an insurance company trade group, more than half of the seniors using the Medicare Part D prescription plan indicated that they were spending less on drugs than before the program was implemented, and 69% indicated that the program was ?worth it? in their estimation.

The FDA has notified consumers and healthcare professionals that taking ibuprofen for pain relief and aspirin at the same time may interfere with the benefits of aspirin taken for the heart.

Susan Winckler, R.Ph., Esq., has resigned as VP for policy and communications and staff counsel at APhA to join the FDA as director of policy communication, a newly created position. Her resignation will be effective Sept. 16.

Large majorities of pharmacists (86%) and physicians (71%) believe that the Medicare Part D prescription drug law is helping people on Medicare save money on medications, but respondents gave the program only a C- grade.

Beginning on Sept. 20, the PDF version of the NPI Application/Update Form (CMS-10114) will no longer be available for download on the CMS forms Web site.

CMS' National Plan & Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) will be upgraded on Monday, Sept. 18, and will be down from 5:00 A.M. ET through 2:00 P.M. ET.

"New Outcomes Data for Type 2 Diabetes" is the subject of a breakfast continuing education program that will be held in Chicago on Thursday, Oct. 5. The session, hosted by Drug Topics and Formulary magazines, will examine the implications of new diabetes research and will also look at the need for tighter glucose control to minimize complications as well as the economic impact of early intervention for patients at risk for Type 2 diabetes.

Duane Reade will pay $50,000 to state consumer affairs officials to settle an investigation into sales of expired products. The New York-based drugstore chain also agreed not to sell nonprescription drugs, infant formula, baby food, and cosmetics beyond their expiation dates.

Rite Aid pharmacists will lead teams of walkers this fall in the American Diabetes Association?s ?America?s Walk for Diabetes.? Rite Aid teams will participate in markets where the company is located to raise funds and help find a cure for diabetes.

The FDA has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would establish that OTC skin bleaching drug products are not generally recognized as safe and effective and are misbranded.

CDC has announced that 100 million doses of influenza vaccine will be manufactured for the upcoming season, more than any previous year. Almost all of the vaccine is expected be shipped in October and November, and new policies are in place this year that are designed to deliver at least some of the vaccine by the end of October to all the providers who placed orders.

Women in Government, a nonprofit organization that represents women state legislators, has recommended that all girls entering middle school be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) to prevent cervical cancer.

Woodcliff Lake, N.J.-based Barr Pharmaceuticals raised its bid for Pliva to $2.5 billion. Barr's chief rival in the Pliva acquisition is Iceland-based Actavis, which offered $1.85 billion for Pliva, based in Croatia. If Pliva accepts Barr's offer, Barr would become the world's third-largest generic drug manufacturer behind second-place Novartis and No. 1 Teva.

A new report from market research firm Decision Resources, entitled Antibiotics: Reaction of PCPs, Pediatricians, and Managed Care to Major Patent Expiries and New Products, has found that the expected FDA approval of faropenem medoxomil, the first oral penem antibiotic, triggered mixed feelings regarding its usefulness among healthcare providers surveyed.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor sitagliptin (Januvia, Merck), currently under review by the FDA, can cause a 2.1 percentage point drop in A1c levels in patients receiving the drug in conjunction with metformin, according to study results released at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes this week.

Almost 70% of minor surgeries are now performed in surgical centers, physicians' offices, and hospital outpatient departments. Procedures including cardiac catheterizations and colonoscopies can be done using sedatives such as midazolam and fentanyl instead of general anesthesia.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recently updated its guidelines for the use of hematopoietic colony-stimulating factors (CSFs). The 2005 update committee unanimously agreed that the reduction in febrile neutropenia (FN) was an important clinical outcome that justified the use of CSFs, regardless of impact on other factors, when the risk of FN was approximately 20% and no other equally effective regimen that did not require CSFs was available. The first guidelines were published in 1994, and they were updated in 1996, 1997, 2000, and, most recently, 2005.

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is looking for a few good hospitals. A few good psychiatric hospitals, that is. JCAHO is rolling out its first-ever hospital-based performance measures for inpatient psychiatric care for a year-long trial run starting in January 2007. Final measures will be released in October 2008.