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Hospitals that treat patients for illnesses resulting from medical errors and hospital-acquired infections will no longer be reimbursed by Medicare, under new rules adopted by CMS.

A study conducted by the University of Wisconsin found that 4% of chronic pain patients taking opioid drugs such as OxyContin (oxycodone HCI, Purdue Pharma) or Percocet (oxycodone HCI/acetaminophen, Endo Labs) abuse the medications.

Talecris Biotherapeutics has come out with a portable policy for its liquid immune globulin intravenous Gamunex.

Oral medications used for the treatment of acne offer the best long-term outcomes despite advances in laser and light-based therapies.

Community pharmacies are smarting over a proposed rule by HHS that will help limit the Medicare program's risk by requiring all suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) to provide CMS with a surety bond.

Rite Aid and the American Pain Foundation are partnering to provide free comprehensive pain management information in August and September at all Rite Aid stores nationwide.

HealthSpring is adding medication therapy management services to its national Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, beginning in January 2008.

Three out of four people participating in an on-line Drug Topics poll during the month of July believe thimerosal or mercury is dangerous and should be banned from all drugs.

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that the average sale price based on data reported to Medicare for 39 medications exceeded the average manufacturer price by at least 5%.

Consumers may not be aware of the May recall of Complete MoisturePlus Multipurpose Contact Lens Solution manufactured by Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) and continue to use the recalled product. Several cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis reported to CDC involved the use of AMO Complete MoisturePlus after the recall was announced.

EvaMist, from KV Pharmaceutical Co., has received approval from the FDA for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms due to menopause.

Women with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and chronic idiopathic constipation who are younger than 55 and meet specific guidelines may now be able to access tegaserod under a treatment investigational new drug protocol.

Privigen is indicated for the treatment of both primary immunodeficiency and chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura and will be launched in the first quarter of 2008.

CDC has launched its Preteen Vaccine campaign to inform parents of its recommendations for three vaccines in this age group, mainly the 11- and 12-year-olds.

Oral medications used for the treatment of acne offer the best long-term outcomes despite advances in laser and light-based therapies.

Wyeth officials have vowed to work with the FDA to speed the approval of Pristiq, a drug that can be used to treat depression and menopausal symptoms.

A notice from the Health Resources & Services Administration spells out the conditions children's hospitals must meet in order to qualify.

NACDS has mobilized its Rapid Response Program to take issue with a recent article in the legal publication, the West Virginia Record.

The academy explained that these sections would disadvantage Medicare beneficiaries because they would prevent Part D drug plan sponsors from using recognized PBM expertise in their development of formularies.

Prosecutors charged Valdes with conspiring with the owners of Med-Pro Billing and Unimed Pharmacy to refer patients to them in exchange for half of what Medicare paid for compounded aerosol medications.

NCPA and NACDS joined to strongly back a new bill aimed at stopping the implementation of the new Medicaid AMP rule.

New products in the areas of prescription brand and generic drugs, home health care, health and beauty, etc.

The United States Pharmacopeia is finalizing revisions to Chapter 797 on sterile compounding for release this summer. The updated chapter will be released in two parts.

Rich with medication knowledge, today's pharmacists-or a growing legion of them-are extending their reach into new areas of patient care. In the process, they are helping to redefine the practice and make the pharmacist an even more valuable and powerful member of the health-care team.

Jim Plagakis discusses appropriate professional wear for pharmacists.

Getting work visas may prove to be more difficult for foreign-born pharmacists.

Pharmacists worry following the release of the final rule on Medicaid reimbursement for generics.

For patients with Lyme disease whose symptoms linger after the active infection has already been treated, continued and prolonged use of antibiotics is not effective and can lead to the development of resistance. This is just one of the new recommendations from the American Academy of Neurology's recently issued treatment guideline.

In effort to improve H. pylori eradication rates, Axcan Pharma has harnessed the power of three drugs known to have antimicrobial effects and combined them into a novel 3-in-1 formulation. Marketed under the trade name Pylera, the new product contains 140 mg bismuth subcitrate potassium, 125 mg metronidazole, and 125 mg tetracycline in each capsule. Pylera is indicated for use in combination with omeprazole for treating H. pylori infection and duodenal ulcer disease.

After the leadership debated the issue of requiring residency for all new pharmacy school graduates by 2020, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy decided to delay action and voted to refer the policy statement, that the AACP backed an accredited residency program for all graduates providing direct patient care, for further study.