Readers’ picks: Top 10 Drug Topics stories in 2014

As 2014 winds down, we look back on a year filled with controversy and change. Among the many articles that drew intense attention from Drug Topics readers were the year’s top 10, which ranged from Kim Ankenbruck’s “A dose of pharmacy truth” and Kelly Howard’s “10 reasons I’m still proud to be a pharmacist” to news stories about opioids missing from CVS stores and a pharmacist’s lawsuit against Walgreens to - of all things - “15 reasons pharmacists make great dates.”

1. Leading off with a huge reader response was “A dose of pharmacy truth: Report from the front lines,” by Kim Ankenbruck, whose first blog post, “Who will stand up for pharmacy?,” created an instant audience.

2. Also drawing tremendous interest was “Electronic prescriptions: Return to sender,” contributed by guest columnist The Cynical Pharmacist.

3. The year’s third top story was a column originally published in 2012 by Oklahoma pharmacist Charles Duhon. Titled “The simple truth of retail chain pharmacy,” its unflinching honesty attracted readers in droves.

4. Number 4 for the year was Steve Ariens’ “When valid prescriptions are refused,” which outlined a complaint process for patients denied service that generated a fury of controversy. To clarify where he was coming from, Steve came back with “Filling prescriptions for controlled substances: Establish a protocol,” which met with agreement, disagreement, and countless shades of opinion in between - not unlike responses to the issues of pain management and controlled substances in general. The debate rages on.

5. The year’s fifth most-read story was “Thousands of painkillers missing from 4 CVS stores,” reporting on 34,000 Rx painkillers missing from four California stores.

Stories 6 through 10 were as follows:

6. “10 reasons I’m still proud to be a pharmacist,” by Kelly Howard.

7. “Pharmacist sues Walgreens over uniform and training pay”

8. “15 reasons pharmacists make great dates”

9. “DEA official blames pharmacists, doctors for pain med denials”

10. “Is there age bias in pharmacy?” 

With thanks for everything you do, Drug Topics wishes you and yours a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season, and an abundant and joyful 2015!