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Critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit (ICU) may be at increased risk of a new psychiatric illness and medication use following hospital release, according to a report published March 19 in JAMA.

The Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board (SPCB) recently announced its 2014 board members and officers.

Contributor Steve Ariens takes another run at the question of how to deal with prescriptions for controlled substances.

Partly fueled by television and the internet, the demand for nutritional products and supplements is growing. Jennifer Hughes, PharmD, Greenwood Compounding Pharmacy, says pharmacies should be looking to this segment to increase profits.

Unfortunately, U.S. adults don’t know enough about the safety of vaccines and the risks associated with not receiving scheduled vaccinations for highly contagious diseases, according to a survey released by the National Consumers League (NCL).

Inventory control and timely communications are key to managing during a drug shortage.

Everyday, approximately one in 25 U.S. patients contracts at least one infection during the course of their hospital care, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Publix’s 622 Florida Pharmacy stores are promoting the Lock Your Meds ® campaign throughout April.

The increased use of U-500 insulin, due to an increase in insulin resistance problems in the United States, has led to a high number of medication errors, but there are a few potential solutions, according to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices.

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) has requested pharmacists in all settings complete the NAPLEX pharmacy practice analysis survey.

FDA will not be approving 108 abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) for prescription medications that contain more than 325 mg of acetaminophen, according to a March 27th Federal Register notice.

Sandoz this week introduced its calcipotriene and betamethasone dipropionate ointment in the United States. It will be the first generic version of Leo Pharma’s Taclonex ointment in the market.

That’s the charge being made by a government watchdog group and a labor federation, which alleges that the Indiana Board of Pharmacy in 2011 approved Walgreens’ new pharmacy design with the help of the former board president who is employed by the drug chain.

FDA has approved non-prescription esomeprazole 20mg (Nexium 24HR, Pfizer).

Poor transitions in care cost the U.S. healthcare system $45 billion in 2011. Of the 1.5 million medication errors that harm patients each year, approximately 60% occur during transitions of care, according to Stephanie Kleyman, PharmD, who spoke about opportunities for pharmacists in transitions of care at the 2014 American Pharmacists Association annual meeting in Orlando.

During the American Pharmacists Association’s annual meeting in Orlando last weekend, the leadership called on its members to advocate for provider status and expanded scope of practice.

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation, with its partner PrescribeWellness, is offering community pharmacies new tools to help diabetes patients manage their disease and health, according to an announcement from the APhA annual meeting in Orlando.

ASHP, ISMP, AHA, and other stakeholders have developed a list of long-term strategies to address drug shortages and released their recommendations in a new report.

A coalition of groups that includes the NAACP and Amnesty International is urging the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) to ban its members from making compound drugs used in lethal-injection executions.

State and national pharmacy groups are rallying behind two proposed bills they believe would provide transparency in drug reimbursements while limiting the auditing practices of pharmacy benefit managers.

Specialty drug pricing and generic drug pricing, especially around single-source generics during their exclusivity period, should be on the radar screens of hospital and managed care decision-makers, according to Catamaran’s 2013 Drug Trend data, which represents 25 million consumers.

Chronically ill adults don’t have consistent access to food due to lack of financial stability were significantly more likely to report cost-related medication underuse, according to a new study published in The American Journal of Medicine. Cost-related medication underuse refers to taking less medication than prescribed, or not taking it at all because of financial concerns.

More than a decade after the clinical battle began with community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), physicians are still trying to figure out how to diagnose, treat, and prevent this virulent form of staph infection, which is immune to many antibiotics.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is accepting public comments until April 3 on its new hepatitis C screening guidelines.

Here's what thousands of your fellow pharmacists were reading this month at Drug Topics

Walgreens plans to close 76 of its drugstores nationwide between April and August 2014, which amounts to less than 2% of its stores, due to store density and non-optimal real estate, Walgreens President and CEO Greg Wasson, said during a conference call on March 25.

Why has one Costco pharmacy in West Sacramento, California consistently bought more hydrocodone than any other pharmacy in that state?

There are many untapped opportunities for hospital pharmacies to boost their bottom lines, including expanding their services and capturing more reimbursements, according to Mary Baxter, RPh, vice president and national practice leader for Cardinal Health’s Innovation Delivery Solutions business.