June 19th 2024
A survey of health system specialty pharmacy employees found that hybrid work significantly improved quality of life and workplace productivity.
U.S. spending on medicines declined in 2012, IMS reports
May 10th 2013Last year, Americans spent less on medicines per capita (3.5%) because of a greater availability of lower costing generics, a decline in the use of brand-name products, lower levels of price increases, and a reduction in spending on new medicines, according to a new report from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.
FDA approves combination agent to help lower LDL cholesterol
May 6th 2013FDA has approved ezetimibe and atorvastatin (Liptruzet, Merck) tablets for the treatment of elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in patients with primary or mixed hyperlipidemia as adjunctive therapy to diet, according to the manufacturer.
Improved mental health seen with Medicaid coverage expansion
May 6th 2013Medicaid coverage was linked to “substantially reduced” depression and the increased diagnosis of diabetes and the use of diabetes medication among low-income adults. At the same time, Medicaid coverage had no detectable effect on the prevalence of diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure, according to the study published in the May 2 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
Asymptomatic C difficile carriers have risk factors at time of hospital admission
May 3rd 2013Screening patients for risk factors upon hospital admission has potential to identify nearly three out of four asymptomatic carriers of Clostridium difficile, according to a new study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
Valproate use during pregnancy increases risk of autism
April 29th 2013Prenatal exposure to valproate significantly increased the risk of autism spectrum disorder and childhood autism in the offspring of mothers who took the anti-epileptic agent, according to a study published in the April 24 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
FDA approves combination glaucoma drop without beta-blocker
April 23rd 2013FDA approved a new fixed-dose combination ophthalmic suspension of a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (brinzolamide 1.0%) and an alpha 2 adrenergic receptor agonist (brimonidine tartrate 0.2%), which is indicated for the reduction of intraocular pressure in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
FDA approves first oral agent for OIC in adults with chronic noncancer pain
April 23rd 2013FDA has approved a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for lubiprostone (Amitiza, Sucampo Pharmaceuticals and Takeda Pharmaceuticals) 24 ?g twice daily as the first oral medication for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adult patients with chronic, noncancer pain.
Glutamine, antioxidants not useful in critically ill patients, study shows
April 19th 2013For critically ill adults with multiorgan failure, early supplementation with glutamine or antioxidants does not improve clinical outcomes, and glutamine may increase the mortality rate of this patient population, according to a study published in the April 18 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.