From staff reports

Tight glycemic control can be achieved in children following cardiac surgery, but is this practice more effective than standard care?

An Endocrine Society task force has established new clinical-practice guidelines that recommend screening adults for high triglyceride levels. Find out the reason behind the new recommendations and how often the screening should be administered.

FDA notified healthcare professionals about a possible increased risk of heart failure with pramipexole (Mirapex).

Most community pharmacists - about 87% - believe that PBM reimbursement and auditing practices are affecting their ability to provide patient care and stay in business, according to a National Community Pharmacists Association survey.

The USA Drug pharmacy chain and its stores are now officially owned by Walgreens.

Some consumers have reported burning pain and blistering following the use of OTC topical pain relievers, FDA reported recently.

Retail pharmacies’ smoking cessation programs are effective in helping smokers quit, according to a study published in the September issue of The Annals of Pharmacotherapy.

What’s different in your drug stores this month or coming very soon? Chewable omega-3 jellies for kids. An oral antiseptic spray. A more-tapered cotton swab. Tasty vitamins that melt in the mouth. Shoes and sandals with arch supports. A non-habit-forming sleep aid. And there are even more new over-the-counter items featured in the print edition of Drug Topics.

Health Mart has appointed Stephen E. Courtman as its new president, the pharmacy franchiser announced today in a press release.

Walgreens is rolling out a new program to reward its customers with cost savings, points, and rewards for purchases, services, and healthy behaviors.

Mepolizumab significantly reduces asthma exacerbations in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma, according to a study published in a recent issue of The Lancet.

FDA has approved teriflunomide (Aubagio, Genzyme, a Sanofi company), a once-daily, oral treatment indicated for patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced yesterday that it has revoked the DEA registrations at 2 CVS pharmacies in Sanford, Fla., because of evidence of diversion of controlled substances and “imminent danger to the public safety,†according to a DEA press release.

A new technology add-on payment for Dificid (fidaxomicin) for Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea was recently approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The new EpiPen 2-Pak holds two EpiPens plus a training pen, meant for training patients and their family members. In one hospital, however, a training pen was being stored in the emergency department’s automated dispensing cabinet.

Qualitest, a subsidiary of Endo Health Solutions, has issued a voluntary, nationwide retail-level recall for one lot of hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen tablets, USP 10 mg/500 mg.

Matthew Burriesci was appointed as the new director of development for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation on August 20.

Adults are more likely to successfully quit smoking if they take bupropion, varenicline (Chantix), or a nicotine patch, than those who attempt to quit without medication, according to the results of an ongoing prospective cohort survey published by the journal Addiction.

A fixed-dose combination of azilsartan medoxomil plus chlorthalidone (Edarbyclor, Takeda) was statistically superior to azilsartan medoxomil coadministered with hydrochlorothiazide at reducing and maintaining systolic blood pressure, according to the results of a phase 3 study published online August 31 in The American Journal of Medicine.

Tricare, the health plan for military personnel, retirees, and dependants, has decided not to put Walgreens back in its retail pharmacy network.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has added a National Prescription Drug Take Back Locator to help consumers find the sites where they can drop off unused prescription drugs.

Healthcare providers, including pharmacists, missed opportunities between 2003 and 2010 to help nearly 90% of U.S. adults with uncontrolled hypertension who had health insurance, according to an early report released Sept. 4 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

An FDA advisory panel voted 13 to 1 that there was adequate evidence of efficacy and safety to support the use of tobramycin inhalation powder (Novartis) for the management of cystic fibrosis in patients whose lungs contain bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

There is considerable discrepancy among caregivers and pharmacists regarding the appropriate dosage of acetaminophen for overweight and obese children, according to a recent study published online August 20 in the European Journal of Hospitality.

Early administration of intravenous aspirin, in addition to alteplase, does not improve functional outcome at 3 months for patients with acute ischemic stroke, but increases the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, according to a study published online August 25 in The Lancet.

Anticoagulant therapy, particularly the use of aspirin, may reduce the risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality in men treated with radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy for prostate cancer, according to a study published online August 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

FDA has granted priority review to bedaquiline, or TMC207 (Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Research & Development), for treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

New programs for casual dieters could result in nutritional deficiencies and adversely interact with medications, so consumers should consult their pharmacists or physicians before trying a new diet plan, according to the American Pharmacists Association.

FDA approved bosutinib (Bosulif, Pfizer) to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia, a blood and bone marrow disease that usually affects older adults.

New anticancer agents that offer improved efficacy compared with standard therapy also increase morbidity and treatment-related mortality, according to a meta-analysis published August 20 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.