November 22nd 2024
On the most recent episode of Over the Counter, James Rider, PharmD, joined Drug Topics to discuss his career journey as a chain pharmacist.
FDA issues 3 draft guidances on biosimilars
February 14th 2012FDA has issued 3 draft guidances for the development of biosimilar versions of approved biologic products, which will help flesh out the abbreviated approval pathway created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into law in 2010.
FDA panel votes against wider use of denosumab for prostate-cancer patients
February 9th 2012An FDA advisory panel recommended against using denosumab (Xgeva, Amgen) to delay or prevent the spread of castration-resistant prostate cancer at risk for bone metastases. The FDA?s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee concluded that the drug offered a statistical benefit but not a clinical benefit.
Cardinal gets temporary restraining order to halt DEA’s suspension of Florida distribution center
February 7th 2012Cardinal Health has requested a temporary restraining order to block a Drug Enforcement Administration suspension halting controlled-substance shipments from its Lakeland, Fla., distribution center. DEA suspended Cardinal’s distribution license for the Lakeland facility last Friday.
FDA approves extended-release tablets for type 2 diabetes
February 3rd 2012FDA approved sitagliptin and metformin hydrochloride (HCl) extended-release (Janumet XR, Merck) tablets, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes that combines sitagliptin, which is the active component of Januvia (sitagliptin), with extended-release metformin.
Hospitals, healthcare facilities urged to require staffs to get flu shots
February 3rd 2012Hospitals and healthcare facilities should require all employees to get an annual flu shot, a group representing many of the nation?s largest employers emphasized again at a press conference Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
Study: Emergency visits increase risk of infections for long-term care residents
February 2nd 2012There was an increased risk of acute infection among long-term care residents who visited hospital emergency departments, according to a study published online January 23 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
FDA approves tablets for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes
February 2nd 2012FDA has approved linagliptin/metformin hydrochloride (Jentadueto, Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly) tablets, a new tablet that provides a single-tablet treatment option, taken twice-daily, for adult patients who need to control their blood sugar.
Ivacaftor approved by FDA to treat rare form of cystic fibrosis
February 2nd 2012FDA approved ivacaftor (Kalydeco, Vertex Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of a rare form of cystic fibrosis in patients aged 6 years and older who have the specific G551D mutation in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator gene.
SSRIs increase risk of falls, injuries for elderly patients with dementia
February 2nd 2012Nursing home residents with dementia who use average doses of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are 3 times more likely to have a fall resulting in injury compared with those who don?t use SSRIs, according a study published online January 18 in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
FDA approves ivacaftor to treat rare form of cystic fibrosis
February 1st 2012FDA approved ivacaftor (Kalydeco, Vertex Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of a rare form of cystic fibrosis in patients aged 6 years and older who have the specific G551D mutation in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator gene.