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FDA has granted priority review to crofelemer 125-mg tablets (Salix Pharmaceuticals) for the control and symptomatic relief of diarrhea in patients with HIV/AIDS on anti-retroviral therapy (ART).

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) expressed its concerns about proposed mandatory prescription track-and-trace programs in comments to a Congressional advisory panel recently.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation has awarded 58 scholarships – totaling $190,000 – to pharmacy schools representing 42 colleges and schools of pharmacy, the foundation announced.

U.S. drug expenditures remained relatively flat in 2011, but a new report projects that drug costs will rise between 3% and 5% across all healthcare settings this year. .

The U.S. healthcare system saves $6 to $7 for every dollar Americans spend on over-the-counter medications, according to a new study released by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association recently.

Walgreens is acquiring “certain assets” of BioScrip’s community specialty pharmacies, centralized specialty, and mail service pharmacy businesses for approximately $225 million

Cardinal Health has requested a temporary restraining order to block a Drug Enforcement Administration suspension halting controlled-substance shipments from its Lakeland, Fla., distribution center. DEA suspended Cardinal’s distribution license for the Lakeland facility last Friday.

The author tries his hand at practicing pharmacy in the land down under. He is enjoying his new adventure, despite facing some challenges.

FDA approved sitagliptin and metformin hydrochloride (HCl) extended-release (Janumet XR, Merck) tablets, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes that combines sitagliptin, which is the active component of Januvia (sitagliptin), with extended-release metformin.

Hospitals and healthcare facilities should require all employees to get an annual flu shot, a group representing many of the nation?s largest employers emphasized again at a press conference Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

There was an increased risk of acute infection among long-term care residents who visited hospital emergency departments, according to a study published online January 23 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Dutasteride (Avodart, GlaxoSmithKline) delays the progression of prostate cancer in men with low-risk prostate cancer, according to a new study.

FDA declined approval of the diabetes drug dapagliflozin (Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca), based on the recommendations of 1 of its advisory committees.

FDA has approved linagliptin/metformin hydrochloride (Jentadueto, Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly) tablets, a new tablet that provides a single-tablet treatment option, taken twice-daily, for adult patients who need to control their blood sugar.

FDA approved ivacaftor (Kalydeco, Vertex Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of a rare form of cystic fibrosis in patients aged 6 years and older who have the specific G551D mutation in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator gene.

The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy is not pleased with changes to the Medicare Part D reporting requirements proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Nursing home residents with dementia who use average doses of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are 3 times more likely to have a fall resulting in injury compared with those who don?t use SSRIs, according a study published online January 18 in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

Researchers are warning pediatricians, pediatric hospitalists, and intensivists of the potential for intravenous acetaminophen dosing errors, especially in young patients under 2 years old.

The Federal Trade Commission turned thumbs down on Omnicare?s attempted acquisition of competitor PharMerica. The agency filed suit in federal court to block the hostile takeover.

FDA approved ivacaftor (Kalydeco, Vertex Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of a rare form of cystic fibrosis in patients aged 6 years and older who have the specific G551D mutation in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator gene.

ScriptPro’s Central Pharmacy Management System won a 2011 Best in Klas award for Software Solutions (pharmacy, outpatient, retail), the 2 companies announced.

The Spiro PD has been cleared to market by FDA for the use by a patient to test lung function in children, adolescents, and adults, the product’s developer, PMD Healthcare, announced.

Walgreens has taken 2 major steps to grow the customer base of its pharmacies since ending its relationship with pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts on January 1.

FDA approved axitinib (Inlyta, Pfizer) to treat patients with an advanced kidney cancer called renal cell carcinoma who have not responded to another drug for this type of cancer.

FDA has approved exenatide extended-release for injectable suspension (Bydureon, Amylin and Alkermes) - the first once-weekly treatment for type 2 diabetes.

FDA has approved vismodegib (Erivedge, Curtis and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group) for the treatment of adult patients with basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer.

Zanamivir and oseltamivir (Tamiflu, Roche) can help prevent and treat the symptoms of influenza, but there is not enough information to evaluate the drugs’ safety and efficacy for preventing the spread of flu or pneumonia, according to a new review published online January 18.

Two key retail pharmacy groups, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association, have renewed their opposition to proposed federal upper limits for generic drug reimbursement under Medicaid.

Indian drug giant Ranbaxy has accepted a consent decree filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of FDA. The decree, which must still be accepted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, requires Ranbaxy to fix long-standing manufacturing problems at plants in India as well as a plant in the United States.

Aspirin prophylaxis in people without prior cardiovascular disease does not appear to reduce cardiovascular death or cancer mortality, however it was associated with reductions in nonfatal myocardial infarction, according to the results of a meta-analysis published online January 9 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.