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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.

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.

The U.S. healthcare system, broken even before the Affordable Care Act, needs a team-based care approach that’s more focused on patients, as well as an increased political effort to advance healthcare, according to researchers speaking at a JAMA media briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on November 12.

Statin therapy is now recommended for approximately 33 million Americans who don’t have cardiovascular disease (CVD), but have an estimated 10-year CV risk of 7.5% or higher. These individuals also have LDL cholesterol between 70 mg/dL and 189 mg/dL, according to new guidelines issued Nov. 12 by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

Telepharmacy

Patients in rural settings can still receive personalized care from pharmacists. With tele consults, all they need is an internet connection and a laptop.

After manufacturers began printing new warnings on medicine bottles, a smaller percentage of emergency room visits resulted from children taking cold and cough products, according to a study in Pediatrics.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals is shifting its investment strategy to focus on opportunities in cystic fibrosis, according to CFO Ian Smith, who spoke at the Credit Suisse 2013 Healthcare Conference in mid November.