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Pesticides used incorrectly to treat infestations of beg bugs and other insects indoors can be harmful to humans, according to a health advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a notice to three Walgreens pharmacies in Florida on Nov. 27, asking them to show why the DEA should not revoke their DEA registrations.

More than 40 lots of atorvastatin calcium tablets, the generic version of Pfizer?s Lipitor, are being recalled by Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. (RPI) because they may contain glass particles that are estimated to be less than 1 mm in size, according to Ranbaxy's website.

An FDA advisory panel voted against making oxybutynin transdermal patch (Oxytrol, Merck and Watson Pharma) available over-the-counter (OTC) for overactive bladder (OAB) in women, Medpage Today reported.

FDA approved Influenza Virus Vaccine (Flucelvax, Novartis Vaccines), the first cell-culture-derived vaccine, for individuals aged 18 years of age and older.

The Obama administration moved ahead to implement provisions in the healthcare law that would make it illegal for insurance companies to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions.

Epidural abscess and other clinical syndromes are being diagnosed in patients exposed to three recalled, compounded steroid injection products, the CDC revealed Nov. 20 in a CDC health advisory which provides clinicians with updated diagnostic and treatment recommendations.

Prostaglandin inhibitors and calcium channel blockers were ranked as the top tocolytic therapy options in terms of outcomes of 48-hour delay in delivery, neonatal mortality, respiratory distress syndrome, and maternal side effects, according to a systematic review and network meta-analysis published Oct. 9 in BMJ.

Self-management has small effects on pain and disability in people with low back pain, according to a study published online in Arthritis Care & Research.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) has developed a new online resource center to help its member pharmacists with sterile compounding issues.

The National Community Pharmacist Association (NCPA) teamed up with Purdue Pharma L.P. to introduce the fourth annual pharmacy safety and security video at www.RxPATROL.org.

Adding aliskiren to standard therapy with renin-angiotensin system blockade could be harmful and did not lower the risk of cardiovascular and renal adverse events when used in patients with type 2 diabetes at risk for these events, according to an online study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

During a four-hour hearing Nov. 14 led by the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce oversight subcommittee, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg was asked if the FDA could have prevented the recent fungal meningitis outbreak.

Patients with cancer who use statins regularly may have a lower risk of cancer-related mortality, according to a study published Nov. 8 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Thousands of patients who attended one of 65 health fairs held throughout the United States were educated about the ABCS of heart health, thanks to $35,000 in grant money from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation.

James D. Coffey, RPh, director of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy, has been removed from his position after allegedly failing to follow up on a complaint about the New England Compounding Pharmacy (NECC) from the Colorado Board of Pharmacy in July.

With President Obama’s re-election, implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will move forward, full speed ahead, according to one industry expert.

Investigators from the Tennessee Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided an aggressive public health response following a single case of Aspergillus fumigatus meningitis in an immunocompetent adult who had received an epidural injection of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate at a clinic in Tennessee, according to a report published Nov. 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

FDA has approved tofacitinib (Xeljanz, Pfizer) to treat adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have had an inadequate response to, or who are intolerant of, methotrexate.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has approved revisions to the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine recommendations for individuals with HIV infection, for those with evidence of immunity, and for those at high risk who have been exposed to measles, according to a report published by Medscape Medical News.

Smoking cessation before the age of 40 reduces the excess risk of lung cancer mortality and overall mortality by 90% compared to individuals who continue to smoke, according to a prospective study of women in the United Kingdom followed for 12 years.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) has updated its clinical practice guidelines on use of antiplatelet drugs during heart surgery.

Topical ivermectim provided a good degree of cure in patients with head lice infection with one simple and easy to-use application, according to a study published in the Nov. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

FDA has expanded the approved use of oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Janssen) to include three new indications: treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE), and reducing the risk of recurrent DVT and PE following initial treatment.

An automated online self-management program may help employees with prehypertension or hypertension achieve adequate blood pressure control, according to a study published in the October issue of American Heart Journal.

Bleeding rates associated with new use of dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim) do not appear to be higher than bleeding rates associated with new use of warfarin, according to an FDA safety review of post-market reports of serious bleeding events.

Two recalled products manufactured by the New England Compounding Center (NECC), Farmingham, Mass., have tested positive for bacterial contamination, according to an FDA update.

Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) introduced legislation Nov. 2 that he believes will strengthen FDA's authority to oversee compounding pharmacies.