Dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera, Biogen Idec) oral delayed-release capsules, formerly called BG-12, was approved by the FDA on March 27, 2013 for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). It is the third oral drug to be recently approved for the treatment of these types of MS.
In July of 2012, a provision in the newly ratified Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, paved the way for the FDA to further assist drug manufacturers in expediting the development and introduction of new drugs demonstrating early signs of advancement in the treatment of key conditions. Known as the “breakthrough therapy” designation, this new tool is seen by many as yet another positive sign that the FDA is committed to ensuring that innovative drug products are brought to market even more quickly for the millions of patients with serious medical conditions, desperately in need of new therapeutic options.
Is your pharmacy ready for the new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Omnibus Rules? New privacy rules took effect in March, 2013, and enforcement begins in September.
With her appointment as dean of the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, Julie A. Johnson, PharmD, became the 7th dean in the school’s 90-year history and the first woman dean.
As a faculty trainer for the American Pharmacists Association’s Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery certification program and a pharmacist who offers immunizations, I have trained hundreds and vaccinated thousands of individuals. Here are some tips and experiences that will hopefully be beneficial to pharmacists in any setting who want to immunize patients.
The primary ethical obligation of a pharmacist is to avoid harm by filling each prescription correctly. For this reason, pharmacies, pharmacy organizations, and boards of pharmacy have adopted and espoused the principles of continuous quality improvement.
The FDA has approved a new plasma-derived product for the urgent reversal of vitamin-K antagonist (VKA) anticoagulation in adults with acute major bleeding.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced $67 million in grants to 105 applicants who will train navigators to help Americans enrolling in plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace beginning this fall.
Hillary Rodham Clinton urged pharmacists to help exercise leadership when she spoke at the NACDS Total Store Expo in Las Vegas.
FDA this week approved integrase strand transfer inhibitor dolutegravir (Tivicay, ViiV Healthcare , GlaxoSmithKline) to treat HIV-1 infection.
Surescripts this week announced it has added 19 state health information exchanges and health information service providers to its network, which is the largest in the nation.
Nearly all prescription drug websites geared toward Americans are operating out of compliance with U.S. pharmacy laws, according to a study by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.
Here’s more front-line testimony that every bench pharmacist can relate to. One of these days, working conditions like these will be history. What’s it gonna take to get the ball rolling?
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.
The first study to investigate the long-term reproducibility of the sensitivity of blood pressure to salt and potassium yields results.
Risk is highest for post-menopausal women who have used calcium channel blockers for 10 years or more.
Various organizations recently gathered at a Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners strategic planning retreat in Alexandria, Virginia.
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.
Adding flow regulators to liquid medication bottles is an effective way to limit the amount of medication administered to children, according to a study published in The Journal of Pediatrics.
NACDS' Total Store Expo, opening at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, on Saturday, August 10, brings together its Marketplace Conference, its Pharmacy & Technology Conference, and its Supply Chain & Logistics Conference.
Between 1969 and 2013, 107 cases of SJS, TEN, and ACEP, involving 67 hospitalizations and 12 deaths, were reported to FDA.
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.
The top law enforcement officials in two states have asked Google to remove video ads from YouTube that promote rogue websites for medications, including those featuring “no prescription required” products.
More than a third of young people believe prescription stimulant abuse is a big problem among their peers, according to a new survey.
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.
Walgreens has announced that its Take Care Clinics at more than 370 locations nationwide will soon be called Healthcare Clinics.
