Health System

Children being treated with a short course of oral corticosteroids for an acute asthma attack may experience a brief and transient depression of their immune response, according to a recent study conducted by Université de Montréal.

A recent recall of generic warfarin tablets was expanded to include 6 other drug products prepared on the same packaging line.

FDA issued a complete response letter to EMD Serono, an affiliate of Merck KGaA, requesting additional information on cladribine (Movectro), a drug intended for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Sunitinib and everolimus improved progression-free survival in patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, according to 2 recent studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The rate of decline in the use of atypical antipsychotics in outpatients with dementia accelerated following a black box warning issued by FDA, according to "Trends in Antipsychotic Use in Dementia 1999-2007," a multicenter study of national Veterans Affairs data that appeared in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Tranexamic acid reduces the risk of death from bleeding without increasing the risk of vascular occlusive events or the need for surgical intervention, according to a review published in the 2011 Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

FDA has updated the pregnancy section of drug labels for the entire class of antipsychotic medications to provide more information about the potential risk of extrapyramidal signs and withdrawal symptoms in newborns whose mothers take antipsychotics during the third trimester of pregnancy.

FDA approved the first-and-only selective phosphodiesterase type 4 inhibitor roflumilast (Daliresp, Forest Pharmaceuticals), once-daily oral tablet to decrease the frequency of exacerbations or worsening of symptoms from severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

FDA approved the use of once-daily guanfacine (Intuniv, Shire) extended-release tablets as adjunctive therapy to stimulants for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years as part of a total treatment program.

Rheumatoid arthritis patients with a high body mass index respond less well to infliximab (Remicade, Centocor Inc.), according to a new study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism.

In a new study of medication administration at nursing homes and residential homes, administration errors were 4 times as likely to occur with liquids than with medications given by dispensers and other monitored dosage systems.

Black-box warnings or safety labels on drugs differed widely across drugs and drug classes, according to a new study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

A new study published in The Lancet found that medication for lowering blood pressure in hypertensive stroke patients might be harmful and has little benefit.

In the White House Budget, President Barack Obama targets the high cost of prescription drugs and proposes 2 significant changes for improving consumer access to less-expensive generic drugs.

NACDS and NCPA authored a joint letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), emphasizing the ability of community pharmacies to help lower prescription drug costs, and the importance of maintaining the right of military families and veterans to choose where they fill their prescriptions through the TRICARE program.

FDA notified healthcare professionals that neither injectable nor oral terbutaline be used by pregnant women for prevention of preterm labor due to risk of serious maternal heart problems and death.

Bisphosphonates such as Fosamax and Boniva may reduce patients? risk of developing colon cancer, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Forest Laboratories $1.2 billion acquisition of Clinical Data, the developer of Viibryd (vilazodone HCl) for the treatment of adults with major depressive disorder, is expected to allow Forest to leverage its existing presence in the antidepressant category.

The independent pharmacy industry needs to unite and develop an internal public relations campaign to mobilize pharmacy store owners and patients to fight for their prescription rights. This was one of the suggestions made during a PBM Discussion Panel for Independent Pharmacy.

Mindful of the push to balance state budgets, the NACDS and the NCPA offered to work closely with states to cut costs without endangering Medicaid beneficiaries' access to pharmacy prescription drug services.

" The National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the Food Marketing Institute, and other retail organizations are urging Congress to help reform credit and debit card interchange fees. "

"While most pharmacy chains allow patients to order 90-day supplies of medication for a reduced price, most patients do not realize that this option is available. "

Pharmacists from around the country will descend on Washington D.C., March 9 and 10 for RxIMPACT Day, sponsored by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

FDA has approved hydroxyprogesterone caproate injection (Makena), the first drug to help prevent premature delivery before 37 weeks in women who have had at least 1 previous preterm birth.

In this section we showcase products and product news that ran up against space limitations or fell outside the parameters of recently featured categories in the print edition. Look for more OTC Product News in upcoming issues of the Drug Topics e-newsletter.

Oseltamivir phosphate oral suspension (Tamiflu) is on back order because of increased demand, manufacturer Genentech announced.

FDA has announced that labeling for rosiglitazone (Avandia) has been changed to include information on cardiovascular risks (including death) connected with use of this agent.

FDA has approved Corifact (CSL Behring), the first product intended to prevent bleeding in people with the rare genetic defect congenital Factor XIII deficiency.

The $20.1 billion acquisition of Genzyme by Sanofi-aventis will allow Sanotif-aventis to expand its footprint in biotechnology and give it an edge in the market for drugs for rare diseases, according to experts.

Swisslog, a leader in pneumatic tube manufacturing, has launched a new touch-screen control-panel design.