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FDA announced a series of steps to increase the supply of critically needed cancer drugs, including temporarily allowing 2 drugs to be imported. The moves are building on President Barack Obama?s executive order to help prevent future drug shortages, FDA said.

California has become the first state to regulate dextromethorphan (DXM), an antitussive in Benylin, Pertussin, Robitussin, and dozens of other over-the-counter cough and cold products. A state law that went into effect Jan. 1 prohibits sales of products containing DXM to anyone under the age of 18 without a prescription.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) has formally joined 5 other national health professions to create the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), a new national organization that will focus on improved integration and coordination of the education of pharmacists and other healthcare workers to provide more collaborative care.

What’s different on your local drug-store counters this month? You can try 2 new flavors of organic tooth powders. There’s a prenatal vitamin designed to optimize DHA levels in mother’s milk. You’ll find a cocktail of natural oils for spot relief of pain or dry skin. A new hand and body lotion promotes healthy blood flow. A multivitamin has been created to improve your vision. Five organic lip and body balms now come in easy-to-carry containers. And there are even more new over-the-counter items featured in the print edition of Drug Topics.

Physicians should prescribe oral metformin as a first-line therapy for most patients with type 2 diabetes, as well as for those whose blood sugar cannot be controlled with diet, exercise, and weight loss, according to new guidelines from the American College of Physicians

Having an ambulatory pharmacy within a healthcare facility can assist discharged patients with their medication regimen and help to improve medication adherence, which can also help reduce the number of readmissions and increase patient satisfaction.

Pharmacy's big bucks

Pharmacists are starting to remember that this is their profession, and they are getting ready to leave some blood and teeth on the floor to take it back.

In comprehensive medication reviews, the focus is no longer on just the bag of medications, but on the care of the patient as a whole.

Partners at the ACO table

CMS is encouraging healthcare providers to improve the quality of care and reduce costs through a collaborative approach, 1 of which is the accountable care organization. Many realize that pharmacists have an important role to play in the success of these models of care.

A recent study indicates that 95% of stroke patients with atrial fibrillation received prescriptions for anticoagulants in 2010 if they were treated at hospitals participating in the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke program.

In most cases, a pharmacy is, by definition, a HIPAA-covered entity, so it is subject to a possible audit by the federal government. Here's what you can do to prepare–just in case.

Letters: February 2012

Readers speak out about mail-order concerns and changes in the profession. One reader even waxes poetic.