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Caremark LLC, a division of CVS Caremark, has agreed to pay $4.25 million to five states to settle allegations that it defrauded Medicaid programs by billing them for prescription costs paid by private insurers.

FDA has approved simeprevir (Olysio, Janssen Therapeutics) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection as part of an antiviral treatment regimen in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin in genotype 1 infected adults with compensated liver disease, including cirrhosis.

Teamwork between pharmacists and doctors benefits patients, and collaborative practice agreements will help make that teamwork possible.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists will be honoring its recipients of the 2013 ASHP Best Practices Award in Health-System Pharmacy during a reception at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition.

During its annual foundation dinner in New York City this week, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation raised more than $1.8 million to support research, education, and medication adherence initiatives.

Helena Foulkes, a veteran with more than two decades of experience with CVS Caremark, will become president of the retail chain’s pharmacy business effective Jan. 1.

Diabetes patients who received heart medications via mail-order were less likely to visit emergency rooms than those who received their prescriptions in person, according to a study in the American Journal of Managed Care.

Patients who quit taking their statins are frequently on 3-4 other meds as well, and drug interactions are amplifying their experience of muscle pain.

Medication adherence can be greatly improved when pharmacists meet with patients and synchronize their meds.

Reevaluation of RECORD trial data fails to uncover elevated cardiovascular risk.

FDA has requested label and packaging changes for certain over-the-counter topical antiseptic products to decrease the risk of infections from these products, which in rare cases have resulted in deaths.

FDA is warning healthcare professionals of the rare but serious risk of heart attack and death with use of cardiac nuclear stress test agents regadenoson (Lexiscan) and adenosine (Adenoscan).

Pregnant women exposed to environmental phthalates are at an elevated risk of preterm delivery, according to a recent study in JAMA Pediatrics.

Sandoz has announced the U.S. launch of an authorized generic version of PharmaDerm’s Solaraze Gel (diclofenac 3% gel), which generated $92 million in 2012.

Changing the infusion site of specialty drugs can lower costs for patients with cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and other complex diseases, according to the 2013 Specialty Trend Management Insights Report, released by CVS Caremark.

Congressional action to tighten regulations for compounding pharmacies will not prevent another tragedy such as last year’s fungal meningitis outbreak, according to the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.

After celebrating his 65th birthday at the beach, pharmacist Roger Harris returned to his Anniston, Ala. workplace to find a surprise waiting for him: He had been fired and replaced by a 27 year-old.

Total global spending on prescription medicines will increase by between $205 and $235 billion from 2012 through 2017, reaching more than $1 trillion in 2017, according to a study released Nov. 19.

Independent community pharmacists who want to sell or expand their business can consult with a new network of resources established by AmerisourceBergen Corp.

Improper dosing of chemotherapy in IV bags recently caused a problem among a group of patients in Canada, so the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is cautioning healthcare practitioners about chemotherapy dosing.

FDA has approved the supplemental New Drug Application for tofacitinib citrate (Xeljanz, Pfizer) to include additional patient-reported outcomes data on the label.

The Michigan Senate has approved a bill that would allow medical marijuana to be dispensed by pharmacies throughout the state. However, the vote by the Michigan senators is merely symbolic, as FDA would have to reclassify marijuana as Schedule II to allow such dispensing.

Collaborative care with pharmacists helped to boost medication adherence in patients with acute coronary syndrome after hospital discharge. However, after 12- month follow-up, the proportion of patients who achieved blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol goals were not significantly different from patients treated under usual care, according to a recent study published online for JAMA Internal Medicine.

FDA has approved ibrutinib (Imbruvica, Pharmacyclics and Janssen) to treat patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a rare and aggressive type of blood cancer. It is the second drug with breakthrough therapy designation to receive FDA approval.

Medication adherence rates for HIV patients with associated comorbidities such as mental illness was higher for patients using Walgreens HIV-specialized pharmacies than for patients using the chain’s other retail pharmacies, according to two recently released studies.

Lurasidone HCl (Latuda) reduces depressive symptoms in adult patients with bipolar depression when used as monotherapy and adjunctive therapy to lithium or valproate. This flexibility is important given the multiple unmet needs of patients with bipolar depression, according to two phase 3 studies published recently in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

The U.S. Senate has voted overwhelmingly to adopt tighter regulations for compounding pharmacies and to create a national system that tracks prescription drugs from manufacturers to pharmacies.

Health Mart has launched a marketing support program to help its pharmacy owners attract new customers and find additional revenue sources.