Mail-order battle heats up over generics
September 18th 2006After 11 years in business on Main Street in Aspen, Colo., Rodney Diffendaffer, R.Ph., knows too well that the struggle between community pharmacists and the mail-order industry is heating up, with generics fueling the fire. "They get to sell three months of drugs at what comes close to my one-month price," he said. "I'm not allowed to sell a three-month supply. It's not a level playing field. Never has been."
This device offers peace of mind to patients at home
September 4th 2006Picture this: A patient with a chronic disease answers questions about his condition via a countertop appliance at home. The answers are sent to a center staffed by nurses and other health professionals who monitor the patient's symptoms, vital signs, and medication use. If a problem is brewing, the professional informs the patient, his or her family caregiver, doctor, and/or pharmacist.
New product newswire: August 21, 2006
August 21st 2006AstraZeneca, Wilmington, Del., (800) 842-9920, has received FDA approval for Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Inhalation Aerosol. The new inhaler is indicated for long-term maintenance treatment of asthma in patients 12 years of age and older.
New products turn up the heat at ASHP show
August 21st 2006The exhibit floor at the ASHP summer meeting in Orlando was sizzling with the latest wares on display for hospital pharmacy in categories ranging from automation solutions to dispensing equipment, computer hardware and software, drug administration devices, packaging equipment, and pharmacy management services.
New product newswire: August 21, 2006
August 21st 2006AstraZeneca, Wilmington, Del., (800) 842-9920, has received FDA approval for Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Inhalation Aerosol. The new inhaler is indicated for long-term maintenance treatment of asthma in patients 12 years of age and older.
New product newswire: July 24, 2006
July 24th 2006Two new medications have been FDA-approved for Endo Pharmaceuticals, Chadds Ford, Pa., (800) 462-3636. Opana (oxymorphone hydrochloride) Extended-Release Tablets, available in 5-, 10-, 20-, and 40-mg strengths, are indicated for the relief of moderate to severe pain in patients requiring continuous, round-the-clock opioid treatment for an extended period of time. Opana Tablets are used for the relief of moderate to severe acute pain where the use of an opioid is appropriate. The drug is available in strengths of 5 and 10 mg.
NIH calls lack of tobacco treatment major problem
July 24th 2006There is still a lot we don't know about why tobacco cessation treatment works and which approach works best, according to a 14-member consensus panel, which met under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently. However, said the committee's draft statement, effective interventions "are available and could double or triple quit rates, but not enough smokers are being offered these interventions."
DME providers bracing for competitive bidding
July 10th 2006Home care providers should be prepared to make changes in the way they do business now that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has published a proposed regulation that would implement competitive bidding programs for certain covered items of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). The proposed rule appeared in the May 1 Federal Register.
Evidence on supplements is extremely limited: NIH
July 10th 2006A consensus panel convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has come down hard on the lack of science behind the use of multivitamin and mineral supplements for chronic disease prevention. Experts from across the country said that except in a few circumstances, there is not enough evidence to advise the public to take or not take them.
Campaign launched to stop teens' drug abuse
June 19th 2006When it comes to teenagers and drug abuse, there's good news and bad news. The bad news comes from a recent Partnership for a Drug-Free America Attitude Tracking study of parents and teens. The study reveals that nearly 20%-or more than 4.5 million-of teens report that they have intentionally abused prescription pain medications. One in 10 teens has abused nonprescription cough medicines with the ingredient dextromethorphan (DXM). The good news is that parents and pharmacists can have a major impact on significantly reducing this abusive behavior.
New product newswire: May 8, 2006
May 8th 2006The FDA has approved OsmoPrep Tablets (sodium phosphate monobasicmonohydrate/sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous) from SalixPharmaceuticals, Raleigh, N.C., (919) 862-1000. The product isindicated for bowel preparation for colonoscopy in adults age 18and older.