Community Practice

APP Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Schaumburg, Ill., recently recalled 5 lots of irinotecan hydrochloride injection, used to treat recurrent or progressive metastatic colorectal cancer. Greenstone LLC has recalled 1 lot of Citalopram, used to treat depression, because the bottles may contain finasteride.

Naproxen/esomeprazole magnesium (Vimovo, AstraZeneca and Pozen) 500/20-mg delayed-release tablets was generally well tolerated in osteoarthritis patients requiring daily NSAID therapy who were at risk for NSAID-associated ulcers, according to a study published in Current Medical Research & Opinion.

5α-reductase inhibitors may cause persistent erectile dysfunction, depression, and loss of libido, even after discontinuing use, in men being treated for systems of benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenetic alopecia, according to a literature review published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus are commonly nonadherent to therapy, according to a recent study published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Prescription Solutions, a pharmacy benefits manager and a UnitedHealth Group company in Irvine, Calif., recently launched an online service that speeds up approval of prior authorization requests.

The risk of fracture is unlikely in patients taking short-term, low-dose proton pump inhibitors, according to a review of available safety data by FDA.

Evidence supports metformin as a first-line agent to treat type 2 diabetes, according to a study in the online edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

While Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, has offered the State of Florida $1 million for a pill mill database, the anticipated cost of sustaining the program may deter Florida Governor Rick Scott and other legislators from accepting the grant.

American Regent, a division of Luitpold Pharmaceuticals in Shirley, N.Y., recently recalled several lots of Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate Injection and Sodium Chloride Injection because they may contain particulates.

Walgreens has acquired online retailer Drugstore.com Inc. for $409 million in cash.

Patients with diabetes who are more adherent to their therapy incur slightly lower healthcare costs, according to a recent study in the journal Health Services Research.

FDA recently released new medication guides and made revisions to a number of others. The following is a synopsis of FDA's actions.

Bartell Drugs is holding a "Health and Beauty Event," featuring health clinics, free beauty "mini-makeover" demonstrations and hair-styling tips, and product samplings ranging from cosmetics to specialty foods and candies.

The 2011 Health & Wellness Conference taking place April 3 to April 5 at the Omni Resort at ChampionsGate in Orlando, Fla., will give supermarket executives opportunities to collaborate with suppliers and service providers on ways to meet the wellness needs of consumers.

Weight-loss products that promise consumers quick and easy ways to shed pounds don't live up to their claims and, even worse, can cause serious harm, FDA has announced.

FDA has a new target in its continuing efforts to clean up pharmaceutical industry abuses: individual corporate officials. The most recent targets are the vice president of quality and the vice president of operations for OTC Products at McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

FDA has approved ipilimumab (Yervoy, Bristol-Myers Squibb) to treat patients with late-stage (metastatic) melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer.

FDA has approved an expanded age indication for Zoster Vaccine Live, (Zostavax, Merck) for the prevention of herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles, in adults ages 50 years and older.

SmartTots, a partnership between the International Anesthesia Research Society and FDA, is gathering more research on safe anesthesia for children under 4 years old.

The American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Association of Poison Control Centers are raising awareness about the dangers of drug poisoning as part of Poison Prevention Week, which is taking place March 20 to 26.

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.

Many patients, especially those with limited literacy, do not consolidate prescription medication regimens efficiently, which could lead to nonadherence, reported a recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

A substantial portion of antiretroviral-naive patients are infected with transmitted drug-resistant HIV with 1 or more drug-resistant mutations, and they are much more likely to experience treatment failure, according to a European multicohort study published in The Lancet Infectious Disease.

"This month, the Skin Cancer Foundation?s annual Road to Healthy Skin Tour will begin a journey that will take it to 80 malls, universities, and other locations. "

The willingness of the elderly to take medication for primary cardiovascular disease prevention is relatively insensitive to its benefit but highly sensitive to its adverse effects, according to a recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Patients with psoriatic arthritis undergoing their first treatment with tumor necrosis factor-? inhibitor showed a high adherence to therapy and a good response, according to a recent Danish study in Arthritis & Rheumatism.

GlaxoSmithKline is forming a Community Pharmacy Team to help pharmacists communicate with their patients about chronic diseases and medication adherence.

Community pharmacies can partner with local law enforcement if they want to get involved in the second National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which will take place on April 30.

McNeil-PPC must cease manufacturing and distributing and destroy all drugs under its control that were recalled from the Fort Washington, Pa.; Las Piedras, Puerto Rico; and Lancaster, Pa., facilities since December 2009, according to a consent decree from the Department of Justice.

The U.S. House of Representatives requested in a letter to CMS that the agency consider the delay of a provision in a recently proposed rule requiring certain prescriptions to be dispensed in 7 days or less increments.