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President Bush has nominated Kerry Weems, the current deputy chief of staff for Mike Leavitt, HHS secretary, to be the new CMS administrator.

Prodrug stimulant lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Vyvanse, Shire) will be considered a Schedule II substance, according to recent word from DEA.

NCPA CEO Bruce Roberts voiced his support of the recently announced acquisition of MemberHealth by insurer Universal American group.

The Kansas and Iowa legislatures have both passed budgets that would channel projected Medicaid savings from lower pharmacy reimbursement back to pharmacists through higher dispensing fees.

Thirty-eight people accused of defrauding Medicare of more than $142 million have been arrested in southern Florida.

Dalteparin (Fragmin, Pfizer/Eisai) can now be used to reduce the recurrence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with cancer.

Central precocious puberty may now be treated with a once-daily subcutaneous implant called Supprelin-LA, from Indevus Pharmaceuticals.

A unique delivery for a new dopamine agonist has been approved to treat symptoms of early Parkinson's disease (PD).

At press time, the Senate has passed the Food & Drug Administration Revitalization Act (S. 1082), which gives the FDA more powers to require manufacturers to conduct postmarketing studies to improve patient safety.

Many pharmacists will dispense oral contraceptives yet balk at dispensing Plan B. The author believes this practice is inconsistent.

Medication therapy management may hold the key to connecting managed care pharmacy and community pharmacy.

Interview with Susan Winckler from FDA, formerly with APhA, on FDA goals.

The differences between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are discussed along with emerging treatments for both conditions. The recent withdrawal of tegaserod (Zelnorm) for the treatment of IBS-c has left many searching for new therapies.

Pharmacy organizations and technology companies prepare emergency database to be ready for the next disaster

Study looks at impact of pharmacists on community project about metabolic syndrome and its implications for heart disease.

The FDA has approved Altabax (retapamulin, GSK) antibacterial ointment, the first in a new class of antibacterials known as the pleuromutilins to treat impetigo.

The use of intravenous (IV) syringes for non-IV applications such as enteral feedings poses many risks, especially for the pediatric and neonatal population which has a majority of their oral and enteral doses provided through a gastric tube.

Health-system pharmacists could raise quality and safety in hospitals. Yet they are underutilized in areas of discharge counseling and drug-abbreviation confusion. Medication errors result.

Three trials at this year's ACC meeting in New Orleans focused on pharmacotherapy effects on cardiovascular disease, one with a strong showing for medical therapy alone versus mechanical intervention.

Pennsylvania is considering not licensing hospitals that fail to lower their hospital-acquired infection rates. This is a move that worries some pharmacists.

More than half of physicians prefer two drugs in a single-pill combination for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, and managed care organizations (MCOs) said they would relegate Novartis' Exforge, which combines amlodipine (Norvasc, Pfizer) and valsartan (Diovan, Novartis), to Tier 3 of their formularies, according to a new report issued by Decision Resources.

A new study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, concludes that the more cigarette marketing teens are exposed to in retail stores, the more likely they are to smoke, and that restricting these retail marketing practices would reduce smoking among teens.

Know Your Number predicts the onset of preventable disease, compares your current health status against that of your peers, reveals what chronic disease risks are modifiable, and lets you know what factors are contributing to the risk of developing specific chronic conditions.

An eight-hour air quality test in a Rite Aid store in Clayton, N.J., where five employees reportedly fell ill recently, has found levels of benzene and chloroform that were higher than state standards. Results of the test, taken April 20 by Rite Aid consultants, were forwarded to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Lotus Blossom Consulting, which helps individuals coping with infertility, is offering clients access to the HEART (Helping Expand Access to Reproductive Therapy) program, sponsored by Ferring Pharmaceuticals. The program offers qualified infertility patients up to 25% of the medication used in an average treatment cycle free of charge, a savings of $250.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) has launched a campaign designed to stop the dangerous trend of teens abusing cough medicines to get high. The Five Moms: Stopping Cough Medicine Abuse Campaign is an on-line, grassroots effort to raise parental awareness about this substance abuse problem and to offer resources.

The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has launched a Pharmacy Affairs Program that will focus on federal, legislative, and regulatory issues.

NCPA has issued a sharply worded statement disputing a PCMA study that asserted that the Community Pharmacy Fairness Act of 2007 would increase Medicare Part D drug costs nearly $30 billion over five years. The act, which was introduced in the House of Representatives and has 124 cosponsors, would allow independent pharmacies to negotiate collectively with PBMs.