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A new birth control pill that is taken daily 365 days a year has received approval. The FDA gave Wyeth the go-ahead for Lybrel, a combination oral contraceptive (OC) that contains 90 mcg levonorgestrel and 20 mcg ethinyl estradiol.

Tinidazole (Tindamax) is the first new drug for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis in 10 years and will provide a shorter course of treatment with fewer daily doses than the current standard of treatment, according to its manufacturer Mission Pharmacal.

You'll be seeing a lot of the term downstream entity. That's the handle CMS proposes to use to signify pharmacies or pharmacists who contract with PBMs, dubbed first-tier entities, that, in turn, contract with Part D plan sponsors.

For decades, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) ws considere the answer not only to hot flashes but to a woman's long-term health. In July 2002, millions of women abruptly discontinued HRT.

Michael Paul Smith, a nurse at a Massachusetts nursing home, was sentenced to 63 months in jail for tampering with painkillers prescribed to patients at the home.

Infinisity Inc., Washington, D.C., has launched Mymedmanager, a three-step system that helps patients and caregivers keep track of their medications and record when they were taken.

Following a series of reports that private insurers involved in the Medicare Advantage (MA) program were using questionable tactics and high-pressured sales efforts, CMS plans to institute reforms and increase supervision of both MA and Medicare Part D plans.

Ophthalmologists have noted an increase in an eye infection, called Acanthamoeba keratitis, caused by a parasite, among contact lens wearers. The infection has been linked to a lens cleaner called Complete MoisturePlus Multi Purpose Solution.

The combination of doxorubicin HCl liposome injection (Doxil, Ortho Biotech) and bortezomib (Velcade, Millennium/Johnson & Johnson) has been granted FDA approval for treating patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy but have not received earlier treatment with bortezomib.

A new boxed warning has been added to the labeling for five gadolinium-based contrast agents used to improve the visibility of internal structures during MRI scans. This came after the FDA received reports of the risk of developing nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), a potentially fatal disease causing thickening of the skin and connective tissues that inhibits their movement.

Home Diagnostics has launched TrackRecord Data Management Software, an electronic diabetes management system. The system is designed for use with Home Diagnostics' blood glucose meters and will enable people with diabetes and healthcare professionals who treat them to better understand how various lifestyle and behavior choices impact blood glucose levels.

RESTAT, a PBM, will now make its data available on RxHub's national patient health information network to provide access to patient prescription information nationwide.

Rite Aid Pharmacies have teamed up with the Skin Cancer Foundation to offer consumers information on skin care protection this June and July.

Manufacturers of timed-release guaifenesin products that have not been FDA approved have 90 days to stop making the products and 180 days to cease shipping them.

According to PhRMA, there are currently 277 medications either in clinical trials or under review by the FDA for treating heart disease and stroke, the two leading causes of death in the U.S.

CMS is now soliciting bids for the first round of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics & Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program.

AstraZeneca is promoting its AZ&Me Rx savings program. The program helps people with imited incomes who are enrolled in a Medicare drug plan but are having difficulty affording their medicines.

More than a week after the initial deadline for registering for a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number passed, CMS released a dissemination notice that reveals that a key NPI database will be available soon.

CMS has offered detailed guidelines on how it will handle pharmacy reimbursement for vaccines under Medicare Part D.

Changes have been made to the prescribing information for deferasirox (Exjade, Novartis) following postmarketing reports of acute renal failure and cytopenias, including agranulocytosis, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) applauded recent actions taken by many major retailers to prevent children under age 18 from purchasing OTC cough medicines that contain dextromethorphan.

The FDA said it will wait to further evaluate data submitted by manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline regarding the safety of its diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia).

Low molecular weight heparin, enoxaparin (Lovenox, Sanofi-Aventis), has a new indication, the treatment of patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

You'll be seeing a lot of the term downstream entity. That's the handle CMS proposes to use to signify pharmacies or pharmacists who contract with PBMs, dubbed first-tier entities, that, in turn, contract with Part D plan sponsors.

New immunosuppressive regimens that combine Certican and low-dose Neoral to preverse renal function following heart transplants and Viagra to lower pulmonary arterial heypertension are coming soon to hospitals.

The FDA is weighing whether to allow a system for electronic insert information for most prescription drugs, replacing paper Rx inserts.

New over the counter items with unique formulations

As the largest community specialty network in the country, Community Specialty Pharmacy Network is designed to provide a distrbution channel for specialty medications.

Some state legislatures move to increase Medicaid dispensing fees in preparation for the implementation of the new Medicaid AMP rule

Updated studies show that the greater use of life-enhancing highly active antiretroviral therapy, the more reports proliferate of unusal side effects, including lipodystrophy, lactic acidosis, insulin resistance, and recently, male osteoporosis.