Community pharmacists are well positioned to take advantage of new models of patient care delivery under the Affordable Care Act (ACT) as individuals enroll in the new Healthcare Insurance Marketplace and under Medicaid expansion, according to Carol Kelly, NACDS senior vice president of government affairs and public policy, on the NACDS website.
New research points the way to safer drug combinations.
In hopes of establishing national standards for pharmacists, the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) has created a taskforce to investigate the pharmacological management of medical marijuana.
Under a priority review to help alleviate a drug shortage, FDA has approved lipid injectable emulsion, USP (Clinolipid, Baxter Healthcare) for intravenous feeding (parenteral nutrition) in adult patients, providing a source of calories and essential fatty acids for adult patients who are unable to eat or drink.
Chronic use of opioids among obese patients prior to bariatric surgery continues after bariatric surgery, and the dose. has been shown to be greater postoperatively than preoperatively, according to a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Patients who skip filling an antibiotic prescription after hospital discharge because of high out-of-pocket costs are at increased risk of rehospitalization and cost the healthcare system substantially more in the long term, according to a study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Managed Care.
FDA approved vortioxetine (Brintellix, Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Lundbeck) to treat adults with major depressive disorder.
FDA warned September 27 of an increased risk of death associated with intravenous tigecycline (Tygacil) for FDA-approved and non-approved uses.
Walgreens and GoHealth Marketplace are providing online and in-store resources for Americans needing assistance making choices for a health insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act.
California Governor Jerry Brown has signed provider-status legislation authorizing pharmacists throughout the Golden State to give a full range of immunizations, as well as dispensing birth control pills and certain medications for international travel.
The level of customer satisfaction with mail-order pharmacies continues to decline well below that of brick-and-mortar pharmacies, according to a study by J.D. Power and Associates.
Want to guide your son or daughter toward a college major that has the best chance of leading to a good-paying job? If so, then there’s no better choice than pharmacy or pharmaceutical sciences, according to Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine.
Digoxin, commonly used to treat heart conditions, was associated with a 72% higher rate of death among adults with newly diagnosed heart failure, according to a Kaiser Permanente study in the September issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
In adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are uncontrolled on metformin and sulfonylurea, dapagliflozin can be added to help improve HbA1c and reduce fasting plasma glucose, body weight, and seated systolic blood pressure, according to results from a study presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Barcelona, Spain, in September.
The National Community Pharmacists Association has created a webpage to educate independent pharmacy owners about Obamacare insurance options for its employees and to help staff members answer patient questions about health insurance exchanges.
Both the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) have endorsed The Drug Quality and Security Act, with letters to Congress to approve the legislation that was introduced September 26. The bill’s two major provisions are expected to address high-risk compounding practices and help to secure the pharmaceutical supply chain.
Cognitive enhancers-drugs taken to enhance concentration, memory, alertness, and moods- that are often given to patients with Alzheimer’s disease do not improve cognition or function for those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the long term-about 96 weeks, according to a study published recently in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
A new poll sent to independent compounding pharmacies by the Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA) found that approximately 40% of pharmacies surveyed would close their businesses under the requirements of Senate Bill 959, The Pharmaceutical Quality, Security, and Accountability Act.
An independent pharmacist has created a subscription-based website that he believes can help consumers save money by disclosing the wholesale cost of prescriptions.
FDA has approved ustekinumab (Stelara, Janssen Biotech) alone or in combination with methotrexate for active psoriatic arthritis in adult patients aged 18 years and older.
The American Pharmacists Association Foundation has published a white paper on a prescription synchronization program for improved medication adherence and produced a tool kit for implementation.
Some women who take tamoxifen to treat or prevent breast cancer report experiencing a mental fogginess while on the drug, and researchers have now confirmed that there’s a biological basis for those symptoms, according to a study published online Sept. 17, 2013, in the Journal of Neuroscience.
WellTransitions program helps improve health outcomes and lower hospital rates of hospital readmission through inpatient counseling and medication reconciliation provided by Walgreens pharmacists.
Varenicline may be a helpful smoking-cessation aid to stable depressed patients already receiving antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications, and its use does not appear to worsen moods, thoughts, or emotional states.
Three of the largest health systems in New Jersey and four in Pennsylvania, totaling 25 hospitals, have formed an interstate consortium to work on quality, population health management, best practices, and medical research, according to a press statement from one of the health systems.
FDA is requiring color changes to the printing on fentanyl (Duragesic) pain patches so that it is clearly visible, to help avoid risk of accidental exposure.
The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is calling for public review and comments on its draft plan to reduce adverse drug events that are preventable. The deadline is Friday, Oct. 4 to email feedback to [email protected].
Pharmacists throughout California are a signature away from being able to give a full range of immunizations, as well as dispensing birth control pills and certain medications for international travel.
A new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says millions of Americans are at risk from drug-resistant superbugs that cause gonorrhea, C. difficile, and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.
FDA has issued an import alert authorizing border control officials to detain drug products manufactured at Ranbaxy Laboratories, Ltd.’s facility in Mohali, India. The agency said action is warranted because Ranbaxy is not complying with U.S. manufacturing requirements.