Health System

Results from the RELY-ABLE trial, the RE-LY extension study, support the long-term safety profile of dabigatran etexilate mesylate (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals) 150 mg twice daily in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), according to a study published in Circulation in mid-June.

Less than a month after FDA warned of an outbreak following steroid injections from a compounding pharmacy there, the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy (TBOP) strengthened its oversight of compounding pharmacies.

New Rx, indications, generics, and OTC for pharmacists

As services for some disease states have flourished, those for HIV/AIDS seem to have fallen by the wayside. Pharmacists can do much to remedy this need.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists will begin offering more than 20 hours annually of continuing pharmacy education courses through an online subscription service.

Two new analyses result in conflicting findings

Even with inadequate help and pressure from above, the pharmacist must always put the patient first

Doctors would have to prescribe antibiotics to 12,000 patients diagnosed with common colds to prevent one hospital admission for pneumonia, study shows

Remember that Nike ad? Just do it!

Advocacy and education will change attitudes

Patient-centered outcomes research makes pharmacists even more important members of the healthcare team

As you fill the Rx for that "little blue pill," use the opportunity to tell patients that ED can be a precursor of heart disease

"Compounders" and "compounding manufacturers" defined

Approval requires canagliflozin manufacturer to complete five post-marketing studies

Drug Topics readers weigh in

FDA asks stakeholders to weigh in on solutions

How can health systems simultaneously improve population health and patient satisfaction, yet reduce per capita costs? A Walgreens model points the way.

New Rx, Generics, and OTC

An audit of two electronic prescribing systems found frequent system-related errors. But the audit, published online in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, found that only a small percentage of those errors were serious and that e-PS prevent more errors than they create.

FDA advised healthcare professionals not to use magnesium sulfate injection for more than 5-7 days to stop preterm labor in pregnant women.

Decolonization of all intensive care unit patients with antimicrobial soap and ointment significantly reduces all bloodstream infections, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

new study suggests prostaglandin analogues may cause droopy eyelids and other side effects that can hamper vision.

a new, evidence-based paper by the American College of Physicians Clinical Guidelines Committee suggests intensive insulin therapy does not show a consistent benefit and may lead to harm.

Cardiologists are increasingly bypassing the anticoagulant warfarin in favor of rivaroxaban, a more-expensive alternative with fewer side effects, according to the IMS NPA Weekly.

Bill to advance to Senate for vote; NCPA also testifies on compounding before House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health

Panel splits on safety of drug at higher doses

Two lots of Sandoz methotrexate sodium found to contain particulate matter