Community Practice

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. recently recalled 64 million tablets of Avalide blood pressure medication in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Some Medicare Advantage patients have a new way to buy over-the-counter products: OTCNetwork, a prepaid point-of-sale card.

Oncology treatment and benefits are changing. Buy-and-bill, the traditional methodology that had physicians buying chemotherapeutic products, treating in the office, and billing the payer, is going the way of surgery by barbers. But no one is quite sure what will replace the one-time standard of payment.

Many pharmacies are aware of the 340B Drug Pricing Program, but few understand the mechanics of how such a program works and to what extent a community pharmacy may be able to capitalize on its benefits.

The states that are looking for ways to stop illegal sales of pseudoephedrine should be commended. But a prescription requirement for cold and allergy medications that customers rely on every day is bad public policy that will have an unnecessary impact on many patients.

After much legal wrangling, pharmacies in San Francisco can no longer carry cigarettes.

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

While there may be some notable breakthroughs to brighten an otherwise bleak pharmaceutical pipeline for 2011, the overall outlook remains grim as the number of new drugs under development continues to shrink, compared to the glory days of just a few short years ago.

Pharmacists save the medical system millions of dollars every day by being the last resort for the poor people who have nowhere else to turn.

Medtronic Inc. in Minneapolis, Minn., recently received FDA approval for its new CareLink Pro 3.0 Therapy Management software.

An OIG audit concluded that CMS is paying pharmacies for dispensing terminated drugs under Medicare Part D, while CMS insists it is not.

A relief pharmacist should spend the first 10 minutes with an internal checklist. Its items may be small in themselves, but overlooked, they will make the day considerably harder.

Pharmacists speak out about dental care, pharmacy associations, and the effects of direct-to-consumer advertising.

In October 2010, FDA approved dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim), the first oral direct thrombin inhibitor for the prevention of thromboembolic stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Starting this month, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires employees with tax-advantaged health accounts to have a prescription for an OTC drug to qualify for account reimbursement and preferred tax treatment. Insulin and OTC medical devices and supplies are exempt.

Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is classified as Schedule I, a definition that gives it a high potential for abuse, with no current safe or medical use. Meanwhile, in 14 states, patients have access to medical marijuana upon physican recommendation.

January is prime time for colds and other respiratory illnesses. Because people tend to equate January sniffles with colds and flu, they may go straight to the cough/cold area and bypass the allergy/sinus aisle, which is also of concern this time of year.

Medication therapy management is looking like the next new career opportunity for pharmacists as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, health plans, and employers press for its adoption.

A study released by the Canadian Medical Association Journal reported that the use of acid-suppressive drugs could be linked to an increased risk of pneumonia.

The addition of bortezomib to the standard induction therapy before double autologous stem-cell transplantation for patients with multiple myeloma appears to improve nearly threefold the rates of complete or near-complete response, according to research published online in The Lancet, HealthDay News reported.

The California Pharmacists Association is preparing to launch what may be the first employee pharmacist ombudsman program sponsored by a state association.

Further reductions in LDL cholesterol through more intensive statin regimens safely produce definite further reductions in vascular events, even down to very low LDL levels, lower than current targets, according to the results of 2 meta-analyses, The Lancet reported. There was no evidence of any lower threshold where the benefit is not seen.

Daily aspirin over at least 5 years appears to greatly reduce mortality from gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal cancers, according to research published online in The Lancet, HealthDay News reported.

A key provision of the Affordable Care Act kicked in January 1 when Medicare beneficiaries who have Part D but don?t get the low-income subsidy ?Extra Help? began receiving a 50% discount under the Medicare Coverage Gap Discount Program on applicable drugs at point of sale. The following article explains how pharmacies should prepare.

Many serious or potentially fatal adverse reactions associated with new, targeted anti-cancer agents are not reported in the original published research on the drug, and they are not known to oncologists until years later when drug labels are updated, including boxed warnings, according to research published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, HealthDay News reported.

Patients who are newly treated with statin-fibrate concurrent therapy are slightly more likely to be hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis than those who take just one of the medications, according to research published in the American Journal of Cardiology, HealthDay News reported.

Diabetes Health magazine launched Diabetes Health Pharmacist, a 24-page, bimonthly, online publication aimed at a readership of 25,000 U.S. licensed pharmacists. The magazine debuted in November.

Many serious or potentially fatal adverse reactions associated with new, targeted anti-cancer agents are not reported in the original published research on the drug, and they are not known to oncologists until years later when drug labels are updated, including boxed warnings, according to research published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, HealthDay News reported.

Diabetes Health magazine launched Diabetes Health Pharmacist, a 24-page, bimonthly, online publication aimed at a readership of 25,000 U.S. licensed pharmacists. The magazine debuted in November.

The directions and devices provided with OTC liquid medicines for kids are often inconsistent and confusing for parents to follow, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.