Health System

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.

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.

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.

The 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.

Security experts and others offered their advice to community pharmacists during Protect Your Pharmacy Week that was held April 16-20.

More organizations are partnering with the Drug Enforcement Administration this year on its National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day April 28.

As many as 80% of patients who are candidates for preventive treatments for migraine headaches could be helped by these treatments, the author of new guidelines issued by the American Academy of Neurology told Drug Topics.

Medicare 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.

Compliance with environmental laws and regulations pertaining to pharmaceutical waste disposal is an essential part of pharmacy management. Here are some tips to make the process less daunting.

Guidelines 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.

Fibromyalgia patients taking pregabalin had significant improvements in sleep and decreased daily pain, according to a new study published in the April 2012 issue of Arthritis Care & Research.

FDA 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.

Patients using periprocedural dabigatran had a significantly higher major bleeding rate than those using warfarin, according to a study published online first February 1, 2012, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Pharmacy benefit manager giant Express Scripts has developed a predictive model, ScreenRx, to combat what its chief scientist calls "the most costly healthcare issue in America" ? non-adherence.

AccentHealth, one of the largest health education television networks, has expanded its patient waiting room television programming to include 8 new condition-specific networks that reach 173 million viewers annually.