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BioMarin Pharmaceutical and Merck Serono have announced the launch of their expanded-access program for sapropterin (Kuvan), an investigational agent for the treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU).

Several reports of patients who experienced chills, fever, and body aches after receiving propofol for sedation have been received by the FDA.

Information on Kawasaki disease (KD) has been added to the prescribing information for Merck's RotaTeq vaccine after three postmarketing reports were received of KD following vaccination.

A request from the FDA has led to a revision of the prescribing information for pioglitazone (Actos, Takeda Pharmaceuticals).

The CVS ExtraCare Plus card will provide CVS customers with a convenient and secure multipurpose reward and payment solution that links the cardholders' existing checking accounts to their existing ExtraCare accounts.

The FDA has approved DexCom Inc.'s STS-7 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System. The STS-7 System measures glucose levels every five minutes throughout a seven-day period.

The sudden death of a Staten Island, N.Y., high school track star was caused by the accidental overuse of OTC remedies to treat sore muscles and joints, according to the city medical examiner.

King Pharmaceuticals is the 11th pharmaceutical company to join Together Rx Access, a prescription savings program created by leading pharmaceutical companies to help individuals and families gain access to meaningful savings on drugs.

The FTC has accepted, subject to final approval, an Agreement Containing Consent Order with Rite Aid Corp. and the Jean Coutu Group. The agreement is designed to remedy the likely anticompetitive effects arising from Rite Aid's proposed acquisition of the Brooks and Eckerd retail pharmacies from Jean Coutu.

A Hallandale Beach, Fla., importer issued a voluntary recall of toothpaste it imported from China and distributed to wholesalers, saying the product may contain a poisonous chemical.

The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health & Human Services issued a new study of average manufacturer price fluctuations.

Medical and consumer groups applauded Vermont after Gov. Jim Douglas signed into law a bill that will sharply limit the marketing and data-mining capabilities of drug manufacturers.

The suit against First Databank and McKesson alleged that the companies conspired to inflate AWP for prescription medications.

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy (DSP) has entered into a joint agreement with Oncology Physicians Resources (OPR) to create a program for managing oncology medications, called OPRx.

According to a recent study of health plan sponsors conducted by ReedHaldyMcIntosh for Medco's Systemed Group, 90% of respondents currently use strategies that encourage the use of mail order and 38% have rules that require it.

Consumers most frequently pick mass-merchandisers over other outlets when it comes to purchasing OTC drugs.

After repeated warning about the devastating impact of the Medicare Part D benefit, NCPA officials finally have the data to back it up. In 2006, the first year of the new drug benefit, more than 1,100 community pharmacies closed shop and those that survived saw dramatically lowered net operating income and sales income even as their prescription sales rose.

According to a new study, consumers trust their pharmacists as a source of information on both the quality and cost of prescription drugs more than independent sources such as Consumer Reports, doctors, and Web sites.

Fluticasone propionate inhalation aerosol (Flovent HFA 44 mcg) and fluticasone propionate inhalation powder (Flovent Diskus 50 mcg), both inhaled corticosteroids from GlaxoSmithKline, will now offer a dose counter for children aged four and older with mild, persistent asthma.

A new painkiller, Magnacet, containing several strengths of oxycodone and 400 mg of acetaminophen, has been launched by Mallinckrodt Brand Pharmaceuticals.

The recent safety concerns regarding the use of the thiazolidinediones pioglitazone (Actos, Takeda) and rosiglitazone (Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline) and the risk that they lead to cardiac failure may cause an increased market uptake of other drugs used to treat Type 2 diabetes.

Wilson Health Information, a leading consumer insight firm, has named Good Neighbor Pharmacy highest in overall pharmacy customer satisfaction in the 2007 WilsonRx Pharmacy Satisfaction Survey.

Upsher-Smith Laboratories will market the lowest available dose of estradiol gel for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause following the FDA approval of Divigel 0.1%.

Long-acting levocetirizine (Xyzal, UCB/Sanofi-Aventis) has received regulatory approval for the relief of symptoms associated with seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis and for uncomplicated skin manifestations of chronic idiopathic urticaria in adults and children six years of age and older.

A request from the FDA has led to a revision of the prescribing information for pioglitazone (Actos, Takeda Pharmaceuticals).

Can metered-dose inhalers containing flunisolide, triamcinolone, metaproterenol, pirbuterol, albuterol and ipratropium in combination, cromolyn, and nedocromil be phased out because they harbor ozone-depleting

Community MTM Services has changed its name to Mirixa.

As many as 25 million people in North America are affected in varying degrees by the inability to completely control urination or bowel movements, with higher occurrences for women and the elderly. Despite what many people believe, bladder weakness is a symptom, not an illness.

Hospital pharmacists involved in Medicare reimbursement will have to think twice when purchasing drugs for their pharmacy departments. CMS has announced a separate, and a reportedly more accurate payment structure for single source and biologic drugs.

After more than two years of collaborative effort, national quality measures for breast and colon cancer treatment are now in place. The American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, working with two other professional organizations, recently received endorsement from the National Quality Forum for the first nationally recognized hospital-based performance measures for breast and colorectal cancer.