Community Practice

A study conducted by the University of Wisconsin found that 4% of chronic pain patients taking opioid drugs such as OxyContin (oxycodone HCI, Purdue Pharma) or Percocet (oxycodone HCI/acetaminophen, Endo Labs) abuse the medications.

Medicare Survival Kit Links

Patients with severe malaria who need parenteral therapy because they are unable to take oral medications may now benefit from treatment with artesunate, an unapproved therapy now available through a new CDC Investigational New Drug Application.

Ariad is developing the new entity in conjunction with Merck for the treatment of solid tumors and hematologic cancers.

A new strength of Stalevo, the combination drug from Orion Corp. and Novartis used to treat Parkinson's disease, has been approved by the FDA.

Overactive bladder can now be treated with an extended-release version of trospium chloride.

The bills would provide for Medicare reimbursement, under Part D, for the safe and effective disposal of used needles and syringes through a sharps-by-mail or similar program.

More than 500,000 clinicians using Epocrates? drug reference software will now have access to Caremark Pharmacy Services division formulary information.

Materials and computers from the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy and the offices and home of professor Flynn Warren Jr., M.S., have been seized by U.S. marshals investigating cheating on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX).

A study conducted by the University of Wisconsin found that 4% of chronic pain patients taking opioid drugs such as OxyContin (oxycodone HCI, Purdue Pharma) or Percocet (oxycodone HCI/acetaminophen, Endo Labs) abuse the medications.

Oral medications used for the treatment of acne offer the best long-term outcomes despite advances in laser and light-based therapies.

Workers will see a rise of 70 cents to $5.85 an hour until 2009, when all minimum wage jobs will pay no less than $7.25 an hour.

Steve Anderson is the new president of NACDS. Drug Topics asks Anderson a series of questions about the challenges ahead in a one-on-one interview.

Pharmacists complain about difficult to read prescriptions.

Community pharmacies are smarting over a proposed rule by HHS that will help limit the Medicare program's risk by requiring all suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) to provide CMS with a surety bond.

HealthSpring is adding medication therapy management services to its national Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, beginning in January 2008.

Three out of four people participating in an on-line Drug Topics poll during the month of July believe thimerosal or mercury is dangerous and should be banned from all drugs.

Consumers may not be aware of the May recall of Complete MoisturePlus Multipurpose Contact Lens Solution manufactured by Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) and continue to use the recalled product. Several cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis reported to CDC involved the use of AMO Complete MoisturePlus after the recall was announced.

EvaMist, from KV Pharmaceutical Co., has received approval from the FDA for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms due to menopause.

Oral medications used for the treatment of acne offer the best long-term outcomes despite advances in laser and light-based therapies.

Wyeth officials have vowed to work with the FDA to speed the approval of Pristiq, a drug that can be used to treat depression and menopausal symptoms.

Millions of dosage units of hydrocodone and alprazolam were distributed nationwide based on illegitimate Rxs.

NACDS has mobilized its Rapid Response Program to take issue with a recent article in the legal publication, the West Virginia Record.

AmerisourceBergen has renamed its Performance Plus network of independent pharmacies as the Good Neighbor Pharmacy Provider Network.

Among the new offerings that were announced are a third-party claim management offered at a flat monthly rate, audit assistance, and a medication therapy management education program.

Workers will see a rise of 70 cents to $5.85 an hour until 2009, when all minimum wage jobs will pay no less than $7.25 an hour.

The FDA's Nanotechnology Task Force has released a report advising the agency to develop guidances for manufacturers and researchers to use in products that utilize such materials.

The academy explained that these sections would disadvantage Medicare beneficiaries because they would prevent Part D drug plan sponsors from using recognized PBM expertise in their development of formularies.

Prosecutors charged Valdes with conspiring with the owners of Med-Pro Billing and Unimed Pharmacy to refer patients to them in exchange for half of what Medicare paid for compounded aerosol medications.