Sanofi-Aventis recalls 30 batches of Lovenox
February 20th 2006Sanofi-Aventis has voluntarily recalled 30 batches of syringes containing the anticoagulant Lovenox (enoxaparin), because of a problem related to the syringe-filling process. The company said the recalled syringes may contain too much of the active ingredient enoxaparin.
Tampered juice bottles found at CVS
February 20th 2006Bottles of fruit juice that appeared to be tampered with were found at a CVS store near where dozens of churchgoers in Connecticut recently fell ill. The bottles contained several different brands and types of juice and were found during an inventory check, according to police.
FDA warns of benzocaine-induced methemoglobinemia
February 20th 2006Benzocaine sprays used for numbing the mouth and throat are being investigated by the FDA for their tendency to cause methemoglobinemia, a condition in which the red blood cells are unable to carry oxygen. Until recently, the FDA considered the incidence of methemoglobinemia with these products to be low; however, new reports have prompted the agency to review all available safety data.
R.Ph.s can take reins of quality improvement
February 20th 2006Delmarva, Medicare's Quality Improvement Organization for Maryland and the District of Columbia, has announced the winners of its Medicare Quality Excellence Awards. The hospital award recognizes the top 10% of institutions that improve the most in the composite of a set of 10 performance measures: five acute myocardial infarction (AMI), two congestive heart failure (CHF), and three pneumonia measures.
USP Drug Safety Review: Medication errors in radiological services
February 20th 2006Radiological services encompass a broad array of diagnostic and treatment modalities used in patient care and performed by various healthcare practitioners. The number of radiological procedures performed in the United States per year has been estimated at 300 million, of which 20% involve a radiological pharmaceutical.
R.Ph.s can oversee lab tests to monitor drugs
February 20th 2006Missed laboratory tests recommended for safety monitoring is a serious problem, according to recently published studies supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality. One study showed that 47%, 45%, and 44% of patients did not receive one or more recommended lab tests over three years. Another showed that 49.6% of all prescriptions that should have been accompanied by a lab test at the time the drug was prescribed were not.
Leukemia, myeloma, VTE highlight ASH meeting
February 20th 2006Research reported at the 47th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology, held recently in Atlanta, featured upbeat findings for a new multiple myeloma agent for leukemia patients and found evidence supporting much wider prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism.
Get used to new paradigm for treating breast cancer
February 20th 2006To commemorate its 50th anniversary, the Avon Foundation recently sponsored a global research symposium in New York City titled "Breast Cancer 2005: From Discovery to Delivery." There were a number of significant takeaways from the meeting.
First evidence-based IPF guidelines issued
February 20th 2006The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) has issued the first-ever treatment guidelines for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) based on medical evidence. The guidelines, developed with Cerner Health Insights, were published in the October 2005 issue of the Journal of Sarcoidosis, Vasculitis, & Diffuse Lung Diseases.
When hypertensive patients undergo oral surgery
February 20th 2006The pharmaceutical management of hypertensive patients during oral surgery requires controlling patient stress and anxiety and knowing the uses and adverse interactions of antihypertensive drugs, according to recently released guidelines by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS).
Latebreakers: Pharmacy vows to continue Medicaid fight
February 20th 2006Staring down the barrel of $6.3 billion in state and federal Medicaid reimbursement cuts over the next five years, NCPA and NACDS have vowed to take community pharmacy's case to HHS and the states, which must write regulations and implement the changes.
Latebreakers: February 20, 2006
February 20th 2006Three Massachusetts women plan to go to court to force Wal-Mart tostock emergency contraceptive (EC) agents in all its pharmacies inthe state. The plaintiffs contend that state pharmacy regulationsrequire pharmacies to stock commonly prescribed medications.
Reflux treatment linked to bowel infection in premature infants
February 13th 2006Researchers in an NIH network have found that premature infants given a common class of nonprescription drugs used to treat acid reflux are slightly more likely to develop a potentially fatal bowel disorder than are infants who are not treated with the drugs. The drugs, known as H 2 blockers, inhibit the production of stomach acid and may put premature infants at risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, a serious inflammation of the intestines.
Part D triggers pharmacy cash flow crisis
February 13th 2006Problems processing Medicare Part D claims have created a cash flow crisis for community pharmacies, according to NCPA. In letters to Part D Rx plan sponsors, wholesalers, and pharmaceutical manufacturers, NCPA urged giving community pharmacies flexibility in paying their accounts as an emergency effort to ease the cash crunch.
Wrong dual-eligible IDs slow Rx claims
February 13th 2006Forty percent of claims submitted to Anthem under WellPoint's POS system for Part D dual eligibles have "junk" in the cardholder ID field, said a company spokeswoman during a CMS conference call. Since incorrect data slow down claims processing, Anthem instituted hard edits in the cardholder ID field to reject claims back to pharmacies that do not use the correct format for Medicare numbers.
New drug for chronic angina approved
February 13th 2006Ranolazine extended-release tablets (Ranexa, CV Therapeutics) have received FDA approval for the treatment of chronic angina. Ranolazine prolongs the QT interval and should be reserved for patients who have not achieved an adequate response with other antianginal drugs.
Study: Rx label translations could help prevent medical errors
February 13th 2006Providing language-appropriate prescription labels could eliminate some of the medical errors responsible for 98,000 deaths each year in the U.S., but chain-owned pharmacies were less likely to provide them than were small, independent drugstores. This finding comes from a study in the February issue of the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, published by Meharry Medical College in Nashville.
Medicare Rx drug discounts holding steady, says PCMA
February 13th 2006Thirty days into the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, discounts on the top 25 drugs prescribed to seniors and the disabled are holding steady, with an average 35% savings on drugs purchased at a retail pharmacy compared with those purchased by cash-paying customers and 46% for drugs purchased through the mail-service pharmacy option, according to a new analysis of Medicare drug prices from the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA). "These data are an encouraging sign for beneficiaries paying Part D deductibles or concerned about their drugs costs in the donut hole as well as the overall costs of the Part D program," said PCMA president Mark Merritt.
USP releases Medicare Rx model guidelines
February 13th 2006The USP has submitted to CMS its Medicare Rx drug benefit model guidelines that Part D drug plans can use for formulary development during the 2007 benefit year. Version 2.0 of the guidelines reduced the number of unique drug categories and classes from 146 to 133 and increased the formulary key drug types from 118 to 141.
Publix Super Markets to open The Little Clinic in select stores
February 13th 2006Publix Super Markets and The Little Clinic LLC have signed an agreement to open medical clinics within Publix stores. The first clinics will be located in the Atlanta and the Miami, Orlando, and Tampa, Fla., markets in the first half of 2006.
New rotavirus vaccine receives FDA nod
February 13th 2006Merck's Rotateq, an oral, live, pentavalent vaccine, has received FDA approval for the prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis in infants, an illness that causes vomiting, watery diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain and results in 55,000 hospitalizations annually. Clinical studies of the vaccine included more than 72,000 healthy infants and closely examined the risk of intussusception, a serious life-threatening condition in which the intestines become twisted.
Abilify available in two new formulations
February 13th 2006Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceutical announced two newly available formulations of Abilify (aripiprazole)-a 2-mg tablet strength and a nonrefrigerated oral solution (1 mg/ml). The 2-mg tablet equips physicians with another dosage strength to help them titrate patients to an effective dose.
Drug firms plan to plug Part D donut hole
February 13th 2006A coalition of seven drug companies is working on a way to help low-income Medicare beneficiaries pay for their medicines when they hit the Part D coverage donut hole. The Bridge Rx plan would offer certain low-income beneficiaries at least 50% off their drugs during the gap when Part D does not cover them.
WHI adds Medicine Shoppe, Rite Aid to Advantage90 network
February 13th 2006Walgreens Health Initiatives (WHI), the pharmacy benefit management (PBM) subsidiary of Walgreen Co., has added Medicine Shoppe and Rite Aid to its Advantage90 network. Of the 56,000 pharmacies in the WHI network, more than 31,000 participate in the Advantage90 network.
Fleet Pharmaceuticals changes name and logo
February 13th 2006C.B. Fleet Co. has changed its corporate identity from Fleet Pharmaceuticals to Fleet Laboratories and has changed its logo. Headquartered in Lynchburg, Va., C.B. Fleet is a leader in the development and distribution of healthcare and personal care products.