Community Practice

The readmission rate for congestive heart failure patients was reduced by more than 50% after Morris Hospital in Morris, Ill., implemented a pilot medication reconciliation program.

Pharmacists save the medical system millions of dollars every single day by keeping people away from the ER. They don't say thank you. And they don't even know that we're front-line money-savers.

Sanofi US recently introduced a blood glucose meter that directly connects to the iPhone and the iPod touch, and communicates results with caregivers and healthcare teams.

What's different in your drug stores this month? A children's sugar-free multivitamin drink. An organizer for patients taking multiple medications. A non-fish oil omega-6 fatty acid supplement. A smaller acetaminophen suppository for infants. Heartburn relief plus breath freshening in a single product. A convenient stain-removing strip option. And there are even more new over-the-counter items featured in the print edition of Drug Topics.

Pharmacists play a vital role in FDA's "new paradigm" for a third class of drugs, according to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

Hospira is voluntarily recalling one lot of hydromorphone injection, USP, 1 mg/mL (C-II), 1-mL fill in 2.5-mL Carpuject, NDC 0409-1283-31, after complaints that a single Carpuject contained more than the 1-mL labeled fill volume, according to a press release posted on the FDA website.

Bariatric surgery plus medical therapy may be a useful strategy for managing uncontrolled diabetes, according to the results of a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis were at twice the risk of infection compared with children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a study published May 1 in Arthritis & Rheumatism.

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy wants to vet internet pharmacies that will be applying for a .pharmacy domain name and to warn about how rogue internet sites are preying on consumers' fears about drug shortages.

The Drug Enforcement Administration?s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day produced a record-breaking amount of unused medications.

Connecticut's legislature passed a bill this weekend that would legalize the use of medical marijuana in the state. While several other states have similar laws, Connecticut is putting more restrictions on the dispensing of the drug.

The percentage of Americans who are able to quit smoking has decreased over the past 2 decades, according to a new report, but retail pharmacists can play a key role in reversing that trend, one of the leaders of a team of tobacco researchers told Drug Topics.

In this final installment, an introduction to Maori culture and customs teaches our American visitor to New Zealand respectful ways to communicate with patients and win their trust.

Phthalate metabolites, chemicals commonly used in plastics, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, were linked to an increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes in the elderly, a recent study found.

The supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids has no benefit in treating multiple sclerosis, according to a clinical trial that appeared in the JAMA's Archives of Neurology. However, researchers acknowledged the randomized controlled trial was underpowered.

A set of 11 evidence-based recommendations for managing pain with pharmacotherapy in patients suffering inflammatory arthritis were reported by an international panel online March 24 in Rheumatology.

Current use of warfarin as a stroke prevention therapy in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation is associated with a lower rate of residual stroke or systemic embolism compared with previous data, according to a recent study.

Teenagers with high levels of uric acid have an increased risk for high blood pressure, according to a new study published in the April 2012 issue of the journal Hypertension.

The labels of 2 formulations of finasteride, used to treat enlarged prostates and male-patterned baldness, are being revised to indicate that additional sexual side effects may persist after the drug has been discontinued, FDA announced.

Doctors debate whether men with elevated cholesterol who are otherwise healthy should still take statins, in a new series in JAMA, Dueling Viewpoints.

Pharmacists are finally eligible to get government support on repaying their student loans if they go to work in communities that are underserved by primary care providers.

The National Community Pharmacists Association and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores expressed their support and made recommendations for Congress's reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act.

Several U.S. senators and representatives are speaking at the National Community Pharmacists Association's annual Legislative Conference, which will be held May 7-9 in Washington, D.C.

Owners of a ship that slammed into the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 2007 are trying to blame California pharmacists for the crash, claiming that they "recklessly" provided prescription medications that clouded the judgment of the ship?s pilot.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, FDA, and other government agencies have made considerable progress on fighting prescription drug abuse in the past year, but much more remains to be done, according to officials.

FDA has issued a safety alert, warning patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals about the dangers of accidental exposure to and improper storage and disposal of fentanyl patches.

Twice-daily dabigatran etexilate mesylate (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingleheim) was shown to be associated with lower rates of fatal and traumatic intracranial hemorrhage compared with warfarin, according to a retrospective subanalysis published online, April 5, in Stroke, the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Novartis has agreed with FDA to update US prescribing information on fingolimod (Gilenya) to include updated patient selection parameters based on certain cardiovascular considerations to aid in the identification of candidates for Gilenya.

The new chairman of the board of the National Association of Chain Drugs Stores emphasized that community pharmacies provide the value of ?an improved health outcome that only a face-to-face encounter with a community pharmacist can accomplish.?

FDA has strengthened its oversight of drugs after they?ve been approved, thanks to its updated postmarket drug safety program, according to a new report by the agency?s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.