Health System

A relief pharmacist should spend the first 10 minutes with an internal checklist. Its items may be small in themselves, but overlooked, they will make the day considerably harder.

In October 2010, FDA approved dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim), the first oral direct thrombin inhibitor for the prevention of thromboembolic stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Starting this month, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires employees with tax-advantaged health accounts to have a prescription for an OTC drug to qualify for account reimbursement and preferred tax treatment. Insulin and OTC medical devices and supplies are exempt.

Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is classified as Schedule I, a definition that gives it a high potential for abuse, with no current safe or medical use. Meanwhile, in 14 states, patients have access to medical marijuana upon physican recommendation.

January is prime time for colds and other respiratory illnesses. Because people tend to equate January sniffles with colds and flu, they may go straight to the cough/cold area and bypass the allergy/sinus aisle, which is also of concern this time of year.

Medication therapy management is looking like the next new career opportunity for pharmacists as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, health plans, and employers press for its adoption.

A study released by the Canadian Medical Association Journal reported that the use of acid-suppressive drugs could be linked to an increased risk of pneumonia.

The addition of bortezomib to the standard induction therapy before double autologous stem-cell transplantation for patients with multiple myeloma appears to improve nearly threefold the rates of complete or near-complete response, according to research published online in The Lancet, HealthDay News reported.

The California Pharmacists Association is preparing to launch what may be the first employee pharmacist ombudsman program sponsored by a state association.

Further reductions in LDL cholesterol through more intensive statin regimens safely produce definite further reductions in vascular events, even down to very low LDL levels, lower than current targets, according to the results of 2 meta-analyses, The Lancet reported. There was no evidence of any lower threshold where the benefit is not seen.

Daily aspirin over at least 5 years appears to greatly reduce mortality from gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal cancers, according to research published online in The Lancet, HealthDay News reported.

A key provision of the Affordable Care Act kicked in January 1 when Medicare beneficiaries who have Part D but don?t get the low-income subsidy ?Extra Help? began receiving a 50% discount under the Medicare Coverage Gap Discount Program on applicable drugs at point of sale. The following article explains how pharmacies should prepare.

Many serious or potentially fatal adverse reactions associated with new, targeted anti-cancer agents are not reported in the original published research on the drug, and they are not known to oncologists until years later when drug labels are updated, including boxed warnings, according to research published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, HealthDay News reported.

Patients who are newly treated with statin-fibrate concurrent therapy are slightly more likely to be hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis than those who take just one of the medications, according to research published in the American Journal of Cardiology, HealthDay News reported.

Diabetes Health magazine launched Diabetes Health Pharmacist, a 24-page, bimonthly, online publication aimed at a readership of 25,000 U.S. licensed pharmacists. The magazine debuted in November.

Many serious or potentially fatal adverse reactions associated with new, targeted anti-cancer agents are not reported in the original published research on the drug, and they are not known to oncologists until years later when drug labels are updated, including boxed warnings, according to research published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, HealthDay News reported.

Diabetes Health magazine launched Diabetes Health Pharmacist, a 24-page, bimonthly, online publication aimed at a readership of 25,000 U.S. licensed pharmacists. The magazine debuted in November.

The directions and devices provided with OTC liquid medicines for kids are often inconsistent and confusing for parents to follow, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services needs to recognize pharmacy services in its proposed rules for accountable care organizations and the Medicare Shared Savings Program.

State Medicaid programs could save $30 billion over the next decade by replacing fee for service pharmacy programs with managed care programs like those used in Medicare Part D, according to a new report on Medicaid pharmacy spending sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.

A higher prescription co-payment, especially among older women, is associated with the early discontinuation and incomplete use of adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy, a life-saving therapy for women with hormone-sensitive, early-stage breast cancer, research shows.

Patients who switch statins have lower persistence to therapy compared to those who don?t switch, according to a poster recently presented at the 45th midyear meeting of the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists.

Antihypertensive therapy with an ARB is not associated with reductions in cardiovascular or all-cause mortality compared to non-ARB-based regimens in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to researchers at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

FDA announced recently that the injection form of Anzemet (dolasetron mesylate) should no longer be used to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Adolescents living in rural areas are significantly more likely to abuse prescription drugs than their counterparts in urban areas, according to a study published online November 1 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, HealthDay News reported.

DHA supplementation doesn?t appear to slow the rate of cognitive and functional decline in individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer?s disease, according to research published in the November 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, HealthDay News reported.

In a multi-national, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, the selective vitamin D receptor activator paricalcitol (Zemplar, Abbott Laboratories), at doses of 1 µg or 2 µg daily, can reduce albuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes, who were already being treated with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors.

In research published in the October 1 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology, HealthDay News reported, metformin, either alone or in combination with sulfonylurea, appears to increase 1-year and long-term survival in patients with T2DM and CHF.

Independent pharmacists in Ohio are concerned about the state?s new ruling that limits transfers on all prescriptions to one per patient.

"Few patients who are prescribed varenicline to assist in smoking cessation remain on the therapy, according to retrospective data presented during the 45th midyear meeting of the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists."