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Going, going, goneOver the next several years, generic versions of many best-selling drugs will become available as patents reach their expiration dates.
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Drug donations in humanitarian aid: A mixed blessingIn disaster relief, inappropriate pharmaceutical donations and/or a disorganized receiving operation can mean that tons of medications go straight into the rubbish.
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Retail pharmacists, store managers can learn from each otherThe retail pharmacist who runs a pharmacy inside a big-box store can improve departmental operations by understanding the point of view of the retail store manager. Although pharmacist and manager have different focuses and priorities, they can work together to improve delivery of services when they understand each other's needs.
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Federal track and trace legislation imminentThe bicameral legislation provides specific requirements for all stakeholders in the drug-distribution supply chain, including manufacturers, wholesalers, repackagers, and pharmacies.
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Late at night and over the lineAn encounter with a police officer reminds JP that the world sees pharmacists only as pill counters.
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Some Lyme patients need long-term drugsThis is the story of my bout with Lyme disease and what a harrowing experience it's been. I hope that by telling my story, I can help you learn from my experience and apply it to your practice.
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Rx Puzzler: Hello, is Les there?Welcome to the first installment of our new column, Rx Puzzler.
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FDA Safety Page: Helping patients understand OTC labelingThe FDA recommends that you counsel patients on the importance of reading product labels carefully to determine the active ingredients and dosing instructions of each product and to discourage them from making assumptions about use based on product names or appearance. The use of similar trade names (so-called "brand-name families") is common practice for OTC products. The products with the trade names "Sudafed" and "Sudafed PE" illustrate specific concerns.
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Where to from here? Pharmacy's evolving optionsIn this month's DT Blog post, contributor Stan Illich outlines some innovations that could strengthen the practice of pharmacy, benefit patients, and assist providers. Now, if we can just work out the bottom line . . .
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Pharmacy 2008: A day in the life21st century pharmacy: Everyone's frustrated and services suffer.
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Viewpoint: Should an RX label require a use-by date or an expiration date?All prescription drugs should have a sell-by date for consistency and patient protection.
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How to Protect Yourself from Red FlagsWhy pharmacists need to be paying attention to the Trinity II case and its consequences.
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New treatments for obesity and OABFDA approves Lorcaserin and Mirabegron extended-release tablets.
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Cardiometabolic disorders: The pharmacist's roleThe term "cardiometabolic disorders" (CMD) refers to a cluster of interrelated risk factors (hypertension, elevated fasting glucose, reduced high-density lipoprotein, elevated triglycerides, and abdominal obesity) that promote the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. With an estimated 47 million Americans facing increased risk of heart disease because of these conditions, management of patients' CMD is a priority for pharmacists.
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Supply of heparin further securedA second round of revised quality standards for heparin became effective recently, the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention has announced.
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Mentors, peer review, and the oath of a pharmacistProfessions survive and prosper when mentors and their juniors embrace one another respectfully and cooperatively for the progressive promotion of their vocation. In this way, the seniors would not carry their valuable professional experience to their graves, and the juniors would not commit irreparable blunders as they enter the stage of practice.
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Viewpoint: Is the growth in our drug tab sustainable?The levels of drug use and expenditures have changed dramatically in the past 150 years. From 1857 to 1929, information on these trends was largely anecdotal in nature. It was only in 1929 that the Department of Commerce reported its first annual census of prescription drug distribution. This was followed, in 1932, by the first annual financial analysis of independent pharmacies, supported by Eli Lilly. Then in 1939, Drug Topics conducted its first annual prescription census, using a representative sample of drugstores from every state. What follows are some observations about trends in drug pricing, using the sources cited above as well as others.
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The Push Is on for Generics and BiosimilarsStalled competition hurts consumers and may keep prices higher.
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Confessions of a counter-dealer, part 4: Be proactive!In a competitive profession and an age of limits, the formula for success is still pretty simple: Sell yourself - and then deliver!
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Pharmacists' role evolves with 21st century health carePharmacy in the 21st century will be more integrated into provision of health services than ever before. Electronic health records will become increasingly important, as will e-prescribing, prescription data, pharmacist intervention/counseling, and collaboration with other healthcare providers.
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Bariatric surgery affects postoperative warfarin dosingA small study of patients undergoing bariatric surgery suggests that weekly warfarin doses can change by as much as 20% postoperatively.
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OSHA says, Oh, yes, you canKnowledge is power. In case you haven't looked at your company's P&P manual lately, contributor Steve Ariens takes you straight to a very basic reason for staying informed.
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Four Simple Steps to Turn a Pharmacy’s Front End Into a Profit MagnetFilling prescriptions is no longer a sufficient source of revenue for community pharmacy.
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Altaire Recalls Ophthalmic ProductsUpdate: Recall expanded to Natural Ophthalmics and TRP Company, Inc.
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New drug approved for treating hypertensionAliskiren (Tekturna, Novartis) is a new molecular entity approved for treating hypertension either as monotherapy or in conjunction with other antihypertensive agents.
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R. Ph.s can identify patients at risk of diabetesAs healthcare professionals, we are all painfully aware of the increase in the incidence of diabetes in our nation. We are also aware that there are many people in our midst who don't realize they have diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimates that the disease affects over 18 million Americans, with 5.2 million of those cases going undetected. As the most visible and accessible health provider in the community, the pharmacist has a unique opportunity to help stanch the spread of diabetes in our country. Therefore, our objective is to have community pharmacies increase their frequency of random glucose screenings in order to identify patients who are at elevated risk for diabetes or may have the disease and not know it. Pharmacists should also be prepared to provide education not only on the treatment but also the prevention of diabetes.
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Clinical Q & A: What's the latest in vaccine therapyThe focus of medicine lies not only in searching for viable treatments and cures for existing ailments but also in the prevention of disease. Vaccination induces immunity after an antigen is introduced to the body. This antigen usually consists of a live attenuated organism, an inactivated organism, a toxoid, or parts of an organism (acellular and subunit). The antigen is incapable of resulting in the full-blown manifestation of the disease, but it is potent enough to generate the formation of antibodies to protect against future illness. Traditionally, vaccination has been used to combat the spread of infectious diseases, such as cholera, rabies, polio, measles, and hepatitis. And this is still the case.
