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The Specialty Pharmacy Association of America is concerned about the language involving refill reminders and marketing in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ newly released revisions to HIPAA concerning the HITECH Act.

At its annual retail business conference in Seattle, Cardinal Health this week announced new services designed to make it easier for community pharmacies to improve patients’ access to specialty medications.

Illinois has become the 21st state to legalize some form of medical marijuana with the establishment of a 4-year pilot program that targets patients with chronic pain and debilitating conditions such as muscular dystrophy, cancer, and HIV.

Americans 65 and older spent nearly $93 billion on prescription drugs in 2010. That’s not surprising. What may be surprising is that nearly 7 out of 10 of those dollars were spent in only a handful of drug classifications.

And the winner is? According to the website ValuePeguin, with its low cost-of-living and plentiful recreation, Gadsden, AL. is the best city for pharmacists.

Walgreens this week announced its Smart90 program, which will allow Express Scripts customers the option of receiving a 90-day supply of some medications either through the mail or in-store.

Rear Admiral Scott F. Giberson, this year’s recipient of the American Pharmacists Association’s Distinguished Federal Pharmacist of the Year Award, recently became Acting Deputy U.S. Surgeon General.

FDA this week advised consumers not to buy or use the vitamin B dietary supplement Healthy Life Chemistry By Purity First B-50 after laboratory analysis found the supplement contains two potentially harmful anabolic steroids.

Nova Diabetes Care voluntarily recalled 21 lots of the Nova Max Glucose Test Strips because they may report a false, abnormally high blood glucose result. Such false results could lead to insulin dosage errors.

The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee called for the Senate to act on its bill to provide clear oversight of compounding manufacturers, following the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak, and to protect the U.S. drug supply chain from counterfeiting and theft, according to a HELP Committee statement on July 25.

FDA approved levomilnacipran extended-release capsules (Fetzima) for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults, according to the manufacturers, Forest Laboratories and Pierre Fabre Laboratories.

FDA has decided to limit the use of oral ketoconazole (Nizoral) to life-threatening mycoses because the drug can cause severe liver injuries and adrenal gland problems, according to an FDA statement released at the end of July.

Patients taking the new generation of oral anticoagulants are associated with a significantly higher risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, according to a study published in the July 2013 issue of Gastroenterology.

Independent pharmacies enrolled in AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation’s business coaching program, on average, saw a 5% increase in sales-per-employee, the organization announced during its ThoughtSpot 2013 tradeshow in Las Vegas.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) continues to receive reports of dose measurement confusion with Humulin R U-500 concentrated insulin injection, according to a recent safety alert from the agency.