All News

A survey of new Rx, new generic, and new OTC products

Depression is a disease like any other. The pharmacist's task is to keep depression patients educated about their disease and their medications, and to stress the importance of adherence to medication. But before that, depression screening may be Job 1.

BANGALORE (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson unit Janssen said it was in discussions with regulatory authorities in Europe and Canada to address trace amounts of a fungicide found in certain lots of its HIV drug Prezista (darunavir).

The American Heart Association recently released its updated cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines for women. The guidelines emphasize practical medical advice that works in the ?real world? rather than on findings primarily observed in clinical research.

BANGALORE (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson unit Janssen said it was in discussions with regulatory authorities in Europe and Canada to address trace amounts of a fungicide found in certain lots of its HIV drug Prezista (darunavir).

The American Pain Foundation recently released a new medication safety module on acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as part of its PainSAFE initiative.

FDA approved the use of meningococcal (A, C, Y, W-135) polysaccharide diphtheria toxoid conjugate vaccine (Menactra, Sanofi Pasteur) in children aged as young as 9 months for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135.

A daily dose of opioids for nonmalignant pain is strongly associated with opioid-related mortality, and doses of 200 mg or more of morphine or equivalent are associated with a particularly high risk, according to a recent study published in the April issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Hemoglobin A1c levels below 6% are associated with a small but significant increased risk of mortality in elderly patients, according to a retrospective cohort study published online in Diabetes Care.

FDA has approved everolimus (Afinitor, Novartis) tablets to treat patients with progressive neuroendocrine tumors of pancreatic origin that cannot be removed by surgery or that have spread to other parts of the body (metastatic).

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists summer meeting will take place from June 12 to June 15 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The meeting will contain a strong medication-safety component.

The American College of Rheumatology has developed new guidelines for starting and monitoring treatments for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

FDA approved linagliptin (Tradjenta, Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly) tablets, used with diet and exercise, to improve blood glucose control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

More than 6,000 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have created profiles as part of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education's new CPE Monitor program.

Script Your Future, a campaign to improve medication adherence, held its kickoff meeting on April 19, 2011, in Sacramento, Calif.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and other organizations are partnering with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on a program that seeks to improve patient health and lower healthcare costs.

The Drug Enforcement Agency should consider community pharmacies as disposal locations for controlled substances, urged new comments submitted to Congress by the National Community Pharmacists Association.

FDA has approved abiraterone acetate (Zytiga, Centocor Ortho Biotech), an oral, once-daily medication for use in combination with prednisone for the treatment of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have received prior chemotherapy containing docetaxel.

In the largest study of its kind, medication errors were greatly reduced after electronic prescribing systems and computerized error reporting systems were installed in a hospital?s psychiatric unit.

Postmenopausal women who were evaluated after taking conjugated equine estrogen had neither an increased nor decreased risk of coronary heart disease, and a decrease in breast cancer risk persisted, according to a post-intervention follow-up of the Women?s Health Initiative Estrogen-Alone Trial, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dalteparin was not better than unfractionated heparin for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis among critically ill patients, according to an international study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

FDA recently issued warning letters to companies that manufacture and market over-the-counter products, including hand sanitizers, that claim to prevent infection from methicillin-resistant Staphylocococcus aureus.

In this section we showcase products and product news that ran up against space limitations or fell outside the parameters of recently featured categories in the print edition. Look for more OTC Product News in upcoming issues of the Drug Topics e-newsletter.

Infopia America?s SmartDiabetes product line has launched in 284 Walgreens drug stores in central and northeast Florida. The product line coordinates diabetes management between the patient, physician, and pharmacist.

This month, FDA launched its revamped Recalls, Market Withdrawals, and Safety Alerts website, making it easier for consumers to search and view food- and product-recall information published since 2009.

Roche recently recalled its Accu-Chek FlexLink Plus infusion sets globally because they may deliver insufficient amounts of insulin to patients.

Fingolimod (Gilenya, Novartis) reduced the risk of disability progression in patients with RRMS, regardless of treatment history, according to a study reported at the 63rd annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

The Obama administration recently unveiled a multiagency plan to reduce the ?epidemic? of prescription drug abuse in the United States.