Health System

Teva/IVAX Pharmaceuticals gained FDA approval for the first generic version of Lexapro (Forest) to treat both depression and generalized anxiety disorder in adults. The company will have 180 days to exclusively sell the product.

The FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) released a new draft guidance on how it develops and classifies drug-safety issues.

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) applauded U.S. Congressional representatives for seeking a hearing on the role of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in Medicare Part D.

FDA approved a dose counter for use with albuterol sulfate (ProAir HFA, Teva Respiratory) for prevention of bronchospasm, the company announced.

The Colon Cancer Alliance and makers of Dulcolax products are working together again to remind people that March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and to urge them to schedule a screening,

Pharmacists are already getting more heavily involved in medication therapy management and counseling services. Now, a company is also urging them to offer patients nutritional guidance as well.

David D. Pope, PharmD, CDE and editor in chief of CreativePharmacist.com, has developed another online tool to help pharmacists work with the overall healthcare of their patients.

The International Pharmaceutical Federation will celebrate its 100th anniversary at the Centennial Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences October 3 through 8 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

FDA approved the first cell-based product made from allogeneic human cells and bovine collagen (Gintuit, Organogenesis) for the treatment of oral mucogingival conditions in adults, the agency announced Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is calling for more appropriate use of antibiotics to combat historically high levels of mortality associated with Clostridium difficile infections in hospitals and other healthcare settings.

A treat-and-extend regimen of intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) produced ?significant visual improvements? for eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, according to an article published in the March issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology.

Antipsychotic medication should be used on elderly dementia patients only as a last resort, authors of a recent study said, but they found that some antipsychotics are more dangerous than others after examining data from thousands of nursing-home residents aged 65 or older.

An FDA advisory panel voted 12-2 to recommend approval of aclidinium bromide (Forest Laboratories and Almirall SA) 400 µg twice daily for the long-term maintenance treatment of bronchospasm associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

FDA has approved lucinactant (Surfaxin, Discovery Labs) for the prevention of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature infants at high risk for RDS. Surfaxin is the first synthetic, peptide-containing surfactant approved for use in neonatal medicine.

New guidelines for the use of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend for the first time vaccinating adolescent boys as well as girls.

Closed pharmacy networks are back and pharmacies are fighting them. That's the gist of a suit filed by four independent pharmacies against the federal government in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina last week.

The National Community Pharmacists Association is urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to stop requiring duplicative fees from pharmacists

The National Community Pharmacists Association criticized a new ad campaign that implies that retail pharmacists are not doing all they can to curb prescription drug abuse.

The Online Pharmacy Safety Act would help consumers protect themselves against the growing threat of illegitimate online drug sellers, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores told members of Congress.

Thursday, FDA updated its recommendations concerning drug-drug interactions between protease inhibitors and statins, warning of an increased risk of muscle injury (myopathy). The most serious form of myopathy, rhabdomyolysis, can damage kidneys and lead to kidney failure, which can be fatal.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) wants all U.S. adults to get vaccinated against whooping cough, according to the Associated Press. The panel voted to expand its recommendation to include all those aged 65 years and older who haven?t gotten a whooping cough shot as an adult.

A new weight-loss medication got an overwhelming endorsement on Wednesday from FDA's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee. The committee voted 20-2 in favor of approving phentermine/topiramate (Qnexa, Vivus).

California pharmacists are claiming victory after the U.S. Supreme Court sent 3 cases back to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Los Angeles. The cases involved injunctions halting Medicaid reimbursement cuts to pharmacies and other providers in California.

Zinc used in addition to antibiotics significantly reduced mortality in children ages 6 months to 59 months with severe pneumonia when compared with antibiotics alone, according to the findings of a recent study done in Uganda.

A recent study challenges the conventional assumption about how Clostridium difficile infection spreads in hospitals, finding that almost three-quarters of the new cases aren?t transmitted by patients in the same ward.

There are no beneficial effects of supplementation with relatively low doses of B vitamins and/or omega-3 fatty acids on cancer outcomes in individuals with prior cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online February 13 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

No significant difference was found in treating patients experiencing clinically diagnosed uncomplicated acute rhinosinusitis with antibiotic amoxicillin compared with patients who received placebo, according to a study in the February 15 issue of JAMA.

American Associated Pharmacies (AAP) announced today that it is partnering with RxAlly, a first-of-a-kind alliance of more than 20,000 pharmacies nationwide, creating the largest performance network of pharmacies in the United States.

FDA announced a series of steps to increase the supply of critically needed cancer drugs, including temporarily allowing 2 drugs to be imported. The moves are building on President Barack Obama?s executive order to help prevent future drug shortages, FDA said.

More than a half million bottles of Infants' Tylenol Oral Suspension, 1 oz. grape, have been recalled voluntarily by McNeil Consumer Healthcare because of complaints about using the dosing system, the company announced.