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As specialty meds pour out of the pipeline, pharmacists knowledgeable in disease states and side effects stand ready to manage administration and patient monitoring.

Last month, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) approved a policy that calls for adequate pharmacist representation on state boards of pharmacy by pharmacists from various practice settings, including hospitals, health systems, clinics, and nontraditional settings, to ensure proper oversight to protect public health.

Patients hospitalized for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at high risk for 30- and 60-day readmissions. In 2008, the mean 60-day admission rate following an emergency department visit of COPD patients was 18% and the mean readmission rate was more than 30%.

As sponsor of The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Road to Healthy Skin Tour, Rite Aid will offer free skin cancer screenings at locations in Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia this summer.

FDA approved sacubitril/valsartan (Entresto, Novartis), an angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), a first-in-class drug for heart failure. It is indicated for patients whose condition is classified NYHA class II-IV, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization.

California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a bill into law that eliminates religious and other personal exemptions some parents previously used to keep their children from getting vaccinations that prevent communicable diseases.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) issued a warning in June to stop using dosing cups for liquid medicine that are embossed with scales for drams, ounces, teaspoon, and tablespoon measures. These measurement scales can be easily confused with the milliliter dosing scales.

In a recently published Federal Register notice, FDA threatened action against companies that manufacture or distribute certain unapproved eardrop products labeled for prescription use.

Over the course of a career, errors are inevitable. For pharmacists, who never forget that lives are at stake, the prospect is chilling. Yet close calls still happen. This was one.

Despite efforts by law enforcement and increased security measures by many pharmacies, the number of pharmacy robberies across the country increased during the first five months of 2015.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has signed legislation that authorizes pharmacists in that state to be paid for clinical services and expands collaborative practice agreements.

Starting next year, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists will provide review courses and recertification resources for the Board of Pharmacy Specialties.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is using billboards to post the faces of people suspected of looting dozens of pharmacies during Baltimore’s Freddie Gray riots in April.