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Taking excessive doses of a common vitamin in an attempt to defeat drug screening tests may send the user to the hospital

Would you like to receive updated drug labeling information electronically, rather than in paper insert form? The FDA is planning a hearing to explore this issue.

Rite Aid pharmacies have launched a two-month initiative to help allergy sufferers understand, minimize, and manage reactions to allergens.

Brand pharmaceuticals that will lose their patents through 2009.

Pharmacists Planning Service Inc. (PPSI) honors former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, M.D., and Julie Gerberding, M.D., director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CVS Corp. and Caremark Rx have formally closed their merger, creating the nation's premier integrated pharmacy services provider.

Financial barriers to health care represent a common and potent risk factor for patients who have had acute myocardial infarctions.

The SudaScan system logs, tracks, and reports sales of select OTC cough/cold products containing pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine. These ingredients are used in manufacturing methamphetamine.

Charleston, W.V., is the market with the highest incidence of people who purchased medicine for diabetes over the past year, according to Scarborough Research. Of consumers in this market, 15% are diabetes medication purchasers, followed by Knoxville, Tenn. (14%), Memphis (11%), Columbus, Ohio (11%), and Tulsa, Okla. (11%).

DA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., recently told a group of attendees of the Consumer Healthcare Product Association's annual executive conference in Naples, Fla., that in order to increase consumer access to healthcare products, stakeholders should explore "new ways that might include the opportunity to think through and pursue the process of a third class of drugs regulated by FDA."

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has adopted the unanimous recommendations of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the use of Gardasil.

The cholesterol-fighting drug simvastatin, the generic equivalent of Zocor, will be added to the list of drugs included in Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's GenericSelect pharmacy program.

Synder's Drug Stores has selected Trintech Group's ReconNET On-Demand and the DataFlow Transaction Network to streamline reconciliation processes across its enterprise.

ASHP wants pharmacists in hospital and health-system pharmacy to report problems they encounter with bar-coded medications. They want to know if those problems interrupt patient care or pharmacy efficiency.

Henri R. Manasse Jr., Ph.D., executive VP and CEO of ASHP, has been named the recipient of the society's 2007 Harvey A. K. Whitney Lecture Award.

DermaFreeze365 Instant Line Relaxing Formula and DermaFreeze365 Neck and Chest. The products were recalled because certain lots tested positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria.

Health Mart, a leader in independent pharmacy franchises, is launching its first national advertising campaign in May.

The Convenient Care Association (CCA) has issued 10 mandatory standards in an effort to ensure consistent, high-quality care at retail clinics nationwide.

CMS is planning to implement systems changes that will help speed up responses to E1 eligibility queries.

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has announced the FDA approval of BeneFIX R2 Kit

Zanaflu will be the brand name for ANX-211, also known as chitosan gel, an intranasal/topical antiviral that has demonstrated efficacy against viruses responsible for the common cold, influenza, and other respiratory tract viral infections.

The FDA has created a Web site that will warn patients of the dangers of purchasing isotretinoin on-line.

TennCare, the Tennessee Medicaid program, reduced its overall pharmacy spending from $2.4 billion in 2005 to $1.2 billion in 2006, according to analysis by HealthLeaders-InterStudy.

NACDS has sent a letter to The Wall Street Journal to correct information in an article entitled, "Medicaid Proposal Is Bitter Pill for Pharmacies."

ACPE will be more rigorous in reviewing Pharmacy schools for accreditation. The change is spurred in part by the Department of Education, which surveys ACPE. Thanks to a more demanding DOE, ACPE put two pharmacy schools on probation recently.

HHS has released a 128-page report on realizing the promise of pharmacogenomics (PGx). The report discusses, among other issues, the educational needs of pharmacists, physicians, and other health professionals; PGx tests sold over the counter in drugstores; and the liability to M.D.s and R.Ph.s from off-label use of PGx.

FDA is issuing a final rule establishing that over the counter laxative drug products in granular dosage form containing the bulk-forming ingredients psyllium (hemicellulose), psyllium hydrophilic mucilloid, psyllium seed, psyllium seed (blond), psyllium seed husks, plantago ovata husks, and plantago seed are not generally recognized as safe and effective and are misbranded.

What emergency medical countermeasures should the U.S. employ against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats?