Health System

Patients taking newer antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) that are associated with a high risk of depression may have an elevated risk of self-harm or suicidal behavior, but other groups of AEDs do not appear to carry the same risk, according to research published in the July 27 issue of Neurology and reported in HealthDay News.

Oral antidiabetic (OAD) agents generally result in a maximum 1.5% drop in hemoglobin (Hb) A1C levels, with sulfonylureas and thiazolidinediones having a slightly more beneficial effect than other classes of oral agents, according to research published in the August issue of Diabetes Care and reported by HealthDay News.

Investigational combination treatment with sustained-release (SR) naltrexone and bupropion (Contrave, Orexigen Therapeutics) combined with lifestyle modification, appears effective in helping people lose 5% or more of their excess body weight, according to research published online July 30 in The Lancet and reported by HealthDay News.

No sooner did Sandoz begin shipping its generic version than Sanofi-Aventis, manufacturer of Lovenox, filed a federal lawsuit to reverse the FDA's approval of the generic.

The generic market is likely to remain very strong between now and 2015, but the combination of healthcare reform and a lack of significant drugs coming off patent means that the outlook between 2015 and 2020 is murkier.

There are some big names among the brand drugs that have recently come off patent and joined the burgeoning generics market.

In a recent survey by Medco Health Solutions Inc., only 66% of 1,092 patients with insurance surveyed "agreed that a generic drug is the same as the brand-name medication - many patients are still not comfortable using a generic and others still consider brand-name drugs to be superior."

The latest pharmacy technologies include IVR, telepharmacy, cell-phone-based automatic refill reminders, a compact robotic dispenser, remote dispensing, and CPOE pharmacy management.

Use of bar-code technology is widespread in the general retail environment. Its advantages have not yet been fully exploited in the hospital and community-pharmacy settings.

With many pharmacists approaching retirement, positions are opening up. For professionals tasked with greater responsibility and longer working hours, greener pastures have an undeniable appeal. In this business climate, how can employers hold onto their pharmacy professionals?

During a typically busy day in the pharmacy, counseling every patient may be tough. But is it too much to answer questions politely - or help someone standing helpless in the OTC aisle?

Pharmacists are in a good position to tell patients that sand, water, snow, and clouds reflect and intensify the sun's rays, causing unsuspected sun damage, even in shade, and that protecting skin from sun damage should be incorporated into a daily routine.

An FDA advisory panel voted 20 to 12 to recommend that the agency allow rosiglitazone (Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline) to remain on the market.

In response to growing concern among hospital pharmacists, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) has launched an education program on antibiotic resistance.

Summer brings picnics, hikes, and trips to the water, along with sunburn, bug bites, and dry, itchy skin. For all that exposed skin, manufacturers offer several new skin-care aids.

Many pharmacies across the country have adopted new policies and procedures that focus more on patient care and outcomes. Included among these new options is administration of vaccines.

Most of us probably didn't pay a lot of attention to business majors when we were in college. Unfortunately, the business majors have far more influence over the practice of pharmacy today than pharmacists do, and it's going to be up to them to find a way out of the pickle our profession finds itself in.

The 2,400-page healthcare reform bill included language establishing the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, a group grounded in the tenets of comparative effectiveness research. Its mission is significant, but whether it has the power to effect change remains to be seen.

A survey of new Rx, new generic, and new OTC products

In every pharmacy, continuous quality improvement is an essential safeguard. For two approaches that guarantee best practices, read on.

Numerous studies show that patients benefit from medication therapy management (MTM) services provided by pharmacists. The drawback to many programs is that it is financially difficult to offer them. In Wisconsin, however, clinical and retail pharmacists participating in the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin's (PSW) MTM pilot project are reimbursed for the time they spend reviewing patients' formulary or explaining how patients should use drugs.

Although the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) creates an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are demonstrated to be ?highly similar? (biosimilar) to or ?interchangeable? with an FDA-approved biological product, only time will tell how long it will take for these biosimilars to reach the marketplace.

Written confirmation is now available from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services indicating that Fluzone High-Dose (Sanofi Pasteur) influenza virus vaccine for patients 65 years or older is a benefit covered by Medicare Part B and will be reimbursed for the upcoming 2010?11 influenza season.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed regulation on June 25 that would exempt community pharmacies from the upcoming bidding process for Medicare Part B diabetes-testing supplies, along with instructions that exempt most independent community pharmacies from accreditation requirements.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a notice in the Federal Register requesting input about the dispensing of controlled substances for residents in long-term-care (LTC) facilities.

FDA said on June 25 that it does not expect any shortage of children?s pain and allergy medications, despite Johnson & Johnson?s inability to resume production until at least next year, Reuters reported.

An FDA advisory panel voted 20?12 to recommend that the agency allow rosiglitazone (Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline) to remain on the market. However, most panelists want to see tougher warnings on the diabetes drug?s label, according to various media reports.

FDA is once again tackling the naming, labeling, and packaging practices connected with drugs and biologics, according to a top official.

A systematic review assessing the comparative effectiveness of oral anti-diabetic drugs for preventing patients at high risk from progressing to type 2 diabetes has found glitazones (pioglitazone, rosiglitazone), biguanides (metformin), and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs; acarbose, voglibose) reduced the relative risk of diabetes by as much as 63%, whereas insulin secretagogues (sulfonylureas and glinides) had no effect.

Sens. Kay R. Hagan (D-N.C.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) have introduced The Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Expanded Benefits Act, a bill that will allow seniors with one chronic illness to thoroughly review all their medications with a pharmacist in a one-on-one session.