Health System

Three pharmacy owners and four pharmacists were among 12 people recently indicted for participating in a conspiracy that dispensed and sold thousands of dosages of anabolic steroids ? including powerful veterinary steroids approved for animal use only ? to users throughout the United States.

Pfizer Inc., the world?s largest drug maker, has secured the financing for a reported $60 billion-plus bid for Wyeth, according to news reports.

The slumping U.S economy and government regulations will cause pharmacy sales to grow only around 1.3 percent rate in 2009, according to new research presented last week at the American Society for Automation in Pharmacy?s Industry and Technology Issues in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced a voluntary pilot program to ensure the safety of drugs and active drug ingredients produced outside the United States.

Eli Lilly and Co. has agreed to plead guilty to one misdemeanor violation of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and will pay more approximately $800 million for unproven marketing and promotional claims involving the antipsychotic medication Zyprexa.

Clinical pharmacy services can significantly help curb prescription drug spending and other healthcare costs, according to a new study.

While the generic drug discount programs offered at most chain pharmacies have saved patients billions of dollars, they have also cut into pharmacies? gross profit margins.

The acting dean of the South Dakota State University College of Pharmacy has been promoted to dean.

A survey of new Rx, new OTC, new indications, and new generics

Group practice can be a fulfilling alternative to corporate drudgery. Each participant brings skills that strengthen the whole. Retail, long-term-care, and institutional pharmacists can combine forces and succeed.

New OTC products for coughs and colds are plentiful this year.

A look at emerging medications and treatments likely to receive notice in 2009.

In a 14-month pilot program in Sterling Heights, Michigan, Chrysler provides diabetics with on-site coaching from pharmacists and dietitians.

A new referral-only pharmacy serves diabetic patients exclusively in Carlsbad, California.

Investigators at University of California, San Francisco, examined 164 drug trials and their reports. Published reports tended to be more favorable than information reviewed by FDA. Bias is suspected.

Boston has followed San Francisco's lead and has banned pharmacy tobacco sales. It went even further and banned cigarette sales on college campuses.

Pharmacists marched in a holiday parade in Oakland, California, to raise funds for a children's hospital and the local chamber of commerce.

Good Samaritan Hospital in Lebanon, Pa., has installed the AcuDose-RX system. Pharmacy automation will help prevent errors, streamline delivery of care, and support economies of scale.

The annual summit of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists called for ways to reduce drug errors. The need for universal IV concentrations is primary. "Safety will improve dramatically if we all work with the same tools." (Peter Angood, Joint Commission)

Conivaptan (Vaprisol) is now available in premixed single-use formulations.

A new study shows that more expensive heparin reduces patient costs.

Two pharmacy technicians in Miami were recently arrested on charges of Medicaid fraud. Keep reading to learn more.

A former pharmacist has been convicted of felony conflict of interest charges for taking payments from drug companies and pocketing money for supervising pharmacy interns from Duquesne University.

A recent report by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud suggests pharmacies and pharmacy regulators need better training and education to help prevent prescription drug diversion, particularly of controlled substance analgesics.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration now requires the manufacturers of antiepileptic drugs to add a warning that using the drugs increases risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

U.S. Attorney W. Walter Wilkins recently announced Marty Sanders, 34 of Sumter, S.C., was sentenced in federal court on drug charges.

A team of medical investigators at the University of California, San Francisco, has accused drug companies of bias by distorting the results of their trials in medical journals, which many doctors rely on to determine whether to prescribe new drugs.

A patient suit against Wyeth Pharmaceuticals may open brand name drug makers to liability for mishaps when patients take a generic product.

The U.S Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether some asthma medications, in rare cases, can increase the risk of serious asthma complications.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently recalled two unapproved and uncleared devices whose manufacturers claimed could treat various medical conditions. The recall was a Class 1, which means there is a reasonable probability that the use of a device will cause adverse reactions, including death.