October 24th 2024
Nina Vadiei, PharmD, BCPP, a clinical associate professor at UT Austin and a clinical pharmacy specialist in psychiatry at San Antonio State Hospital, discusses her career as a psychiatric pharmacist.
Improvements in warfarin therapy reduce stroke rate, study shows
May 3rd 2012Current 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.
Ship owner sues CVS over San Francisco collision
May 1st 2012Owners 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.
Lower rates of intracranial hemorrhage seen with Pradaxa
April 26th 2012Twice-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 updates Gilenya label to include stronger cardiac warnings after FDA review
April 24th 2012Novartis 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.
New system transmits CPE data, credits electronically
April 24th 2012The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and ACPE providers have teamed up to create the CPE Monitor. This new system will allow for the electronic transmission of continuing pharmacy education data.
Medicare Part D "donut hole" coverage gap affects adherence in cardiovascular patients, study finds
April 24th 2012Medicare Part D beneficiaries with cardiovascular conditions who had no financial assistance during the "donut hole" coverage gap were 57% more likely to discontinue their medications than beneficiaries with consistent drug coverage, according to a new study.
ADA, EASD issue joint position statement on hyperglycemia treatment for T2DM
April 20th 2012Guidelines for managing elevated blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, developed jointly by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), are being published concurrently in the ADA?s journal, April 19 online edition of Diabetes Care and in EASD?s journal, Diabetologia.
FDA approves pregnancy category change for insulin detemir injection
April 19th 2012FDA has approved insulin detemir [rDNA origin] injection (Levemir, Novo Nordisk) pregnancy Category B classification, indicating that when used in pregnant women with diabetes, the injection did not increase the risk of harm to the unborn baby.
Community pharmacies preferred over mail order at a rate of 4:1, study shows
April 17th 2012When co-pays are similar, patients prefer community pharmacies versus mail order to fill their prescriptions by a ratio of 4 to 1, according to a new study published in the April 2012 issue of The Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy.
CPhA pushing bill to allow California pharmacists to perform OTC lab tests
April 17th 2012California pharmacists would be able to better assist patients with increasingly more complicated over-the-counter assessment tests if the state?s Senate approves new legislation, according to Jon Roth, CEO, California Pharmacists Association.
Kentucky law protects pharmacies against unfair PBM audit practices, NACDS says
April 17th 2012The recent passage of a Kentucky bill prohibiting pharmacy benefit managers from recouping payments through pharmacy audits when there is no evidence of fraud bodes well for similar federal legislation, according to a recent statement from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.