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If filled prescriptions are collecting dust in the pick-up bin of your pharmacy, they may not be going anywhere anytime soon. Americans are failing to adhere to their medications because doing so makes them feel "sad," "old," or "worried," according to a recent survey.

Last year, Americans spent less on medicines per capita (3.5%) because of a greater availability of lower costing generics, a decline in the use of brand-name products, lower levels of price increases, and a reduction in spending on new medicines, according to a new report from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.

Leaders of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and hundreds of its members were in Washington, DC, last week for a two-day advocacy-focused conference. They hope to garner support from Congress for leveling the playing field between pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) and independent community pharmacies.

FDA has approved ezetimibe and atorvastatin (Liptruzet, Merck) tablets for the treatment of elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in patients with primary or mixed hyperlipidemia as adjunctive therapy to diet, according to the manufacturer.

Medicaid coverage was linked to “substantially reduced” depression and the increased diagnosis of diabetes and the use of diabetes medication among low-income adults. At the same time, Medicaid coverage had no detectable effect on the prevalence of diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure, according to the study published in the May 2 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) has joined forces with other healthcare industry leaders to raise awareness of the need for better medication adherence and to advance public policy with near-term solutions.

Prenatal exposure to valproate significantly increased the risk of autism spectrum disorder and childhood autism in the offspring of mothers who took the anti-epileptic agent, according to a study published in the April 24 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.