Community Practice

Diabetic kidney disease has become more prevalent in the United States over the last 2 decades due to the expansion of the diabetes population, concluded a study published in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA.

Crizotinib, an investigational drug, demonstrated an association with a sharp increase in survival rates for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positive genetic alteration, according to the results of an early-phase study presented at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

FDA has issued a warning that smoking-cessation aid varenicline (Chantix, Pfizer) may be associated with a small, increased risk of certain adverse events in patients who have cardiovascular disease.

Compared with moderate-dose therapy, intensive-dose statin therapy appears to be associated with increased risk of new-onset diabetes, concluded a meta-analysis of data from 5 statin trials published in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA.

Walgreens announced last week that it is ending its relationship with pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts as of January 1, 2012.

FDA approved the first generic versions of Levaquin (levofloxacin), an antibiotic approved to treat certain infections in people aged 18 and older.

CVS/pharmacy's new Care 1on1 program aims to make patient and pharmacist counseling more a part of the chain's culture.

Retail pharmacies are behind in testing software systems for HIPAA?s NCPDP Telecommunication Standard D.0, according to a new survey from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs.

Local pharmacists can reduce Medicaid costs by helping millions of patients take their medication properly, said B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA, in a prepared statement of response to a recent ad campaign sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.

FDA has announced more conservative dosing recommendations for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) when they are used to treat anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) because of increased risk of cardiovascular events such as stroke, thrombosis, and death.

Kaiser Permanente pharmacists in Southern California have finally agreed to a new 3-year contract. The new terms were reached after an extended battle that saw pharmacists vote to strike, then reject what Kaiser called a final offer.

FDA announced reports of medication errors involving risperidone (Risperdal, Johnson & Johnson) and ropinirole (Requip, GlaxoSmithKline), noting that in some cases, patients who took the wrong medication needed to be hospitalized, according to a Medication Safety Announcement released June 13.

Novo Nordisk recently sent a letter to healthcare professionals, reminding them about the potential risks of thyroid C-Cell tumors and acute pancreatitis associated with Victoza.

The National Community Pharmacists Association is accepting nominations for top pharmacy awards that will be presented during its Annual Convention and Trade Expo in Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 8 to Oct. 12.

In this section we showcase products and product news that ran up against space limitations or fell outside the parameters of recently featured categories in the print edition. Look for more OTC Product News in upcoming issues of the Drug Topics e-newsletter.

Rite Aid kicked off the summer by launching a new healthy skin care campaign in partnership with the Skin Cancer Foundation. The program includes free consumer information in all Rite Aid stores and online as well as increased professional information for the chain?s pharmacists.

FDA announced new testing and labeling requirements for OTC sunscreen products that will help manufacturers better indicate those that when used with other sun protection measures reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging, as well as help prevent sunburn, according to a news release issued by the agency.

Merck & Co. has redesigned 34 of its drug container labels to improve readability and provide better information on product and strength differentiation, according to a statement on the company?s website.

Tim Canning is no longer president of Health Mart, McKesson?s retail pharmacy franchise and Drug Topic?s 2011 Chain of the Year. As of June 17, Canning switched hats to become the chief marketing officer and senior vice president at long-term care pharmacy chain Omnicare.

FDA approved a new drug application for Zutripro (hydrocodone bitartrate, chlorpheniramine maleate and pseudoephedrine HCl) Oral Solution (CIII) and Rezira (hydrocodone bitartrate and pseudoephedrine HCl) Oral Solution (CIII), according to a statement issued by Cypress Pharmaceutical.

Physicians should limit the use of 80-mg simvastatin due to an increased risk of myopathy, according to a recent FDA consumer update and a corresponding news release.

The risk of major congenital malformations increases dose-dependently with 4 common antiepileptic drugs, according to the results of a study published online June 5 in The Lancet Neurology.

The College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) is preparing to launch its CPNP Foundation, which will promote state-of-the-art and essential treatment for people affected by psychiatric and neurologic illness.

While the U.S. population is expected to increase 12.6% between 2000 and 2013, the number of pharmacy school graduates will come close to doubling. The oversupply of pharmacists is already having a drastic effect on student debt, job prospects, and wages. The time to halt the proliferation of pharmacy schools has come.

Whereas historic pharmacy practice linked the pharmacist to a product, as pharmacists move toward more complete healthcare services, they are now also providers of cognitive services. As pharmacists delve further into cognitive services and take on greater patient responsibility, the process is likely to add to liability exposure.

The days of too many jobs chasing too few pharmacists are history. Today the situation is reversed. Is the situation grim for new pharmacists seeking to enter the market? Not necessarily, says one expert.

Readers speak out about pill-splitting, depression screening, the POWER program, rapping pharmacists, and more

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

Are surgeons at your hospital using recombinant factor VIIa to control bleeding? If so, they are probably not helping patients and could be harming them.

An accurate understanding of the effectiveness of medications, which guides decisions about their optimal use, depends on a critical appraisal of published literature, according to Alvin Goo, PharmD. Goo is a clinical pharmacist with Harborview Medical Center and clinical associate professor, University of Washington School of Pharmacy and Family Medicine, Seattle.