Chain Pharmacy

It’s important to put processes in place to be sure a patient’s medication list at discharge from the hospital is the same information that is provided to the primary care physician to avoid medication errors, according to a recent study published online July 24 in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy.

FDA has issued a Drug Safety Communication concerning three children who died and one child who experienced a nonfatal but life-threatening case of respiratory depression after taking the pain-reliever codeine following tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy.

FDA has approved the influenza vaccine formulation for six manufacturers for the 2012-2013 influenza season.

Systemic corticosteroid monotherapy using prednisone is not effective for patients with acute rhinosinusitis, according to a new study published in the August 7 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The use of generic prescription drugs instead of their brand-name counterparts has saved Americans and the nation’s healthcare system $1.07 trillion over 10 years ending in 2011, according to the results of a study commissioned by the Generic Pharmaceutical Association.

Federal legislation is needed to control pharmacies that are re-selling drugs on the gray market, according to Carmen Catizone, the executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

FDA has approved vincristine sulfate liposome injection for the treatment of adult patients with Philadelphia chromosome negative (Ph-) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who have had at least two relapses or whose disease has progressed following two or more anti-leukemia therapies.

What has staved off even higher levels of ongoing shortages is that drugmakers are reporting potential shortages much more often and FDA is using various tactics to prevent them from becoming reality.

As a flurry of blockbuster drugs lose their 20-year patent protection, the market is splitting wide open as drugmakers offer competing generic versions.

That the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act bodes well for the generic drug market, which is already growing by leaps and bounds annually. Industry consultants expect ACA implementation to notably benefit retail pharmacists, PBMs, and drug wholesalers.

It might seem like common sense, but observing stringent hygiene protocols in hospital rooms can cut down on HAIs.

When pharmacy trade journals are talking about the same issues and the same solutions as they were 15 years ago, more than just the times are out of joint.

Jill Fitzgerald, PharmD, who is Drug Topics' CPE accreditor, was sworn in as chair-elect to the AACP Continuing Professional Education Section.

A recent report indicates that independent pharmacies are more prone to fraud and abuse than are chain stores.

Readers share an appreciation of JP, a defense of mail-order pharmacy, and how the $4 prescription has affected pharmacy.

Earlier this year, CVS Caremark began blocking about 30 drugs whose manufacturers were offering copay coupons. Express Scripts is taking similar steps.

The future may lead pharmacy practice in several new directions. Here are a few of the possibilities.

A survey of new Rx, new generic, and new OTC products

RxAlly has launched a new Performance Network of more than 20,000 pharmacies nationwide, with a core mission to generate measurable improvements in patient health outcomes and healthcare costs.

A sizable segment of the medication-using public seems to have decided that "natural" is better than anything pharmaceutical. But nature isn't always harmless.

As the drug-shortage crisis continues, pharmacists look for ways to stem the tide. In health systems, the most powerful solution results from collaboration across departments.

A roundup of OTC products to help manage the small hurts left by summer fun.

Kent Hospital, in Warwick, R.I., is stepping up its staff's awareness of safe injection practices.

Several drugstore chains are taking part in a pilot project with the CDC to provide HIV testing.

Teens are using OTC cough syrup, with DXM as an active ingredient, to get high. While the drug may be legal, its harmful effects are similar to those of illegal drugs.

DEA published its interim final rule on e-prescribing for controlled substances (EPCS) more than two years ago. While vendors work toward compliance, nationwide deployment of EPCS can only occur once both state and federal laws are aligned in all jurisdictions.

Short-term hormone replacement therapy is a relatively safe treatment for healthy, recently postmenopausal women, according to a new consensus statement.

An oral dose of modified-release tranexamic acid may offer an effective first-line therapy for patients with heavy menstrual bleeding, according to a recent study published online July 17 in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy.

A new formulation of the widely prescribed painkiller OxyContin has led drug abusers to shift to heroin, according to research results reported as a letter to the editor in the July 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

In a recent study, researchers found that rectal indomethacin significantly reduced the incidence of pancreatitis after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in high-risk patients.