Calif. bill requires proper disposal of home-generated sharps
July 24th 2006California Senate Bill 1305 has been passed. The new law requires the proper disposal of home-generated sharps waste (syringes, needles, lancets, etc.) and acknowledges mail-back programs as one of the most convenient alternatives for the collection and destruction of home-generated sharps.
Illinois launches initiative to require e-prescribing
July 24th 2006Illinois Gov. Blagojevich has launched a patient safety initiative aimed at reducing medication-related errors by requiring all healthcare providers to use "e-prescribing" paperless doctor prescriptions. The initiative creates a division of patient safety within the Illinois Department of Public Health focused on reducing medical mistakes, developing standard medication practices to reduce adverse drug interactions, and creating on-line physician databases so patients can check out their doctors.
Bill may force military families to use mail order
July 24th 2006The House and Senate are considering a bill that would force many U.S. military families to fill most of their prescriptions through mail order. The TRICARE provisions of the Defense Authorization Act are headed for a House-Senate conference after different versions of the bill passed in each chamber.
NCPA outraged at low reimbursement for generic Zocor
July 24th 2006Complaints from NCPA members have been steadily building over low maximum allowable cost (MAC) reimbursement from Express Scripts for generic Zocor. According to NCPA, it has received numerous reports that Express Scripts, one of the largest PBMs in the country, has set a MAC for simvastatin at approximately two-thirds of the pharmacy acquisition price.
ALF issues warning on dangers of excess acetaminophen
July 24th 2006The American Liver Foundation (ALF) has issued a warning based on a recent study dealing with the effects of high doses of acetaminophen on the liver. The study, published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that healthy adults who took the maximum recommended dose of acetaminophen for two weeks had drastically increased liver enzyme levels, which could lead to liver damage.
SmartCare centers to open in Fred Meyer stores
July 24th 2006SmartCare Family Medical Centers, a Colorado-based operator of retail healthcare centers, has signed a partnership agreement with the Fred Meyer Division of the Kroger Co. to open its SmartCare Centers inside sports stores located in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. SmartCare Centers will open centers in Seattle this fall.
Free trial program for hemophiliacs
July 24th 2006Bayer Healthcare has announced the launch of a program designed for patients with hemophilia A. The Kogenate FS with Bio-Set Free Trial Program will allow enrollees to receive up to six free infusions of the product delivered to their home or location of choice.
R.Ph. accused of making false insurance claims
July 24th 2006Pharmacist William Schobert, who used to work at Nugent's Apothecary, in Medford, N.J., could face up to 20 years in prison for allegedly creating more than 500 false prescriptions for himself and his family members. Investigators have charged that he sought reimbursement to the tune of $80,000 for the fake claims over a two-year period from his insurer.
FDA issues warning on treatment of depressed mothers-to-be
July 24th 2006Results from two recent studies have led the FDA to notify healthcare professionals and consumers to new concerns about treating pregnant women who take antidepressants. One study showed that women who stopped taking their antidepressants were five times more likely to experience a relapse of their depression during pregnancy compared with those who continued to take the medication.
FDA Safety Page: Mucomyst and Mucinex name confusion
July 24th 2006The FDA wants to alert healthcare providers about name confusion between Mucomyst and Mucinex. These errors may be occurring due to the increased off-label use of Mucomyst for the prevention of acute renal failure associated with radiographic contrast media. To date, all errors reported to the FDA MedWatch system occurred during the prescription order, transcription, and product selection phases of inpatient medication use. No adverse events were reported as a result of these errors.
FDA: Many barriers remain on generic biologics
July 24th 2006The generic pharmaceutical industry has been at odds with the Food & Drug Administration over several key issues lately, including authorized generics, facilitating the development of more generic agents, and approving generic biopharmaceuticals. At a recent conference in New York City sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), Scott Gottlieb, M.D., deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs at FDA, attempted to clarify the agency's position on several hot-button topics.
Most states now allow collaborative practice
July 24th 2006When the Governor signed the legislation in May, New Hampshire became, by at least one count, the 41st state to permit pharmacists to enter collaborative practice agreements with physicians. But no one knows for sure how many pharmacists are taking advantage of the professional privilege.
New guidelines issued for Parkinson's disease
July 24th 2006At the American Academy of Neurology's (AAN) 58th annual meeting in April, new guidelines were released for the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). The recommendations were later published in the April 11, 2006, issue of Neurology as four separate practice parameters.
First cancer vaccine approved for women
July 24th 2006Women now have the option of being immunized against cervical cancer following approval of Merck's Gardasil. Roughly 6.2 million Americans become infected with genital human papillomavirus (HPV) each year, and more than 50% of all sexually active persons become infected at some point. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. While the body's immune system clears the virus in most women, some go on to develop cervical abnormalities that can lead to cancer. Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in women, with roughly 470,000 new cases and 233,000 deaths occurring each year worldwide.
Generic approvals may set off statin storm
July 24th 2006The Food & Drug Administration recently approved three generic versions of simvastatin (Zocor, Merck), the largest-selling drug yet to be opened to generic competition. For the next 180 days, Teva will have exclusive rights to sell the 5-, 10-, 20-, and 40-mg dosages of simvastatin and Ranbaxy will have the rights to sell the 80-mg dosage. In addition, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories will sell all five dosages under an agreement with Merck to be the authorized generic manufacturer of the drug.
Bayer Diabetes Care acquires Metrika
July 17th 2006Bayer Diabetes Care, a division of Bayer HealthCare LLC and a member of the Bayer Group, has acquired Metrika Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif. The company manufactures and markets A1CNow+, a meter-based diabetes monitoring system that has single-use, disposable test cartridges.
PACE Plus program to help seniors pay less for Rxs
July 17th 2006Pennsylvania's Gov. Edward Rendell has signed into law a new PACE Plus program, which will provide the state's seniors with a prescription assistance program. PACE Plus combines the popular lottery-funded PACE/PACENET program with the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. The Governor estimates that seniors in Pennsylvania will pay $2,000 less for their Rx benefits than older adults in other states.
Study: Rx compliance still a concern
July 17th 2006More than one-third (35%) of patients report not filling all the prescriptions they receive, according to a new study conducted by Wilson Health Information and The J. Scott Group. The study of 32,000 patients indicated that this percentage is virtually unchanged over the past three years in spite of efforts by healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies to convey the benefits of compliance.
Walgreens recruits employees with disabilities
July 17th 2006Walgreens has launched an initiative to hire people with disabilities at its new distribution center in Anderson, S.C., and is recruiting through a new, specially designed Web site. Walgreensoutreach.com describes jobs available at the Walgreens distribution center and is designed to be accessible by people with sensory, physical, and cognitive disabilities.
DrugMax to acquire two pharmacies
July 17th 2006DrugMax, a specialty pharmacy and medical specialty product provider, announced that it plans to open two new pharmacies in leading medical office buildings during the second half of 2006. The company is also in discussion with existing physician group partners to launch additional pharmacies this year.
GAO faults drug plan sponsor call center responses
July 17th 2006Medicare prescription drug plans generally provided incomplete and inaccurate information to callers who asked questions about the new benefit, according to a new GAO report entitled "Medicare Part D: Prescription Drug Plan Sponsor Call Center Responses Were Prompt, but Not always Accurate." Investigators placed 900 calls to 10 of the largest companies that offer drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries and reached representatives in 864 of those calls.