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GlaxoSmithKline is launching Nicorette Fruit Chill with a nationwide campaign called the Fruit Chill Million Challenge.

XLHealth, a disease management company, and CVS/pharmacy have partnered to provide free one-on-one medication consultations to a large segment of the Medicare beneficiaries participating in the Tennessee Medicare Health Support pilot program.

The FDA declined to allow GlaxoSmithKline to sell the weight-loss drug Xenical (orlistat) without a prescription, but the company said it still expects to introduce an OTC version of the drug by the end of the year.

The FDA and CDC are alerting healthcare professionals and their patients who wear soft contact lenses to an increasing number of reports of rare but serious fungal infections in the eye that can cause permanent loss of sight.

The American Lung Association of Iowa and Hy-Vee are joining forces to offer Iowa residents free screenings for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in America. Early detection through screening is essential to the diagnosis of COPD in its earliest stages. The screenings are available this month and will run through June.

One problem hospitals that have installed a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system have been grappling with is the torrent of medical alerts generated by this technology.

When a new drug hits the market, it's no surprise to anyone that the price can be pretty steep. High research and development costs, along with huge promotional expenses, are part and parcel of bringing a new drug to consumers.

Virtually none of the more than 1,000 rural critical access hospitals (CAHs) in rural America can afford a round-the-clock R.Ph. on staff. And this lack of coverage can adversely affect quality by slowing the prescription review process, said Tim Stratton, R.Ph., Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy in Duluth.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices and ECRI, a medical device safety research company, are investigating a potentially dangerous problem with smart infusion pumps programming pads.

In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, disaster preparedness became a priority for the nation's hospitals. Then interest in the topic trailed off somewhat. But in the late summer of 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed the Gulf Coast, and disaster preparedness was suddenly back with a vengeance.

An ambulatory 70-year-old man, F.H., has been admitted to yourhospital with a hip fracture that will require surgery. AlthoughF.H. has a history of atrial fibrillation (AF) episodes andtransient ischemic attacks (TIA), his heart is currently in normalsinus rhythm. Medications on admission included verapamil 120 mgand warfarin 5 mg daily; fracture pain is being treated withmorphine intramuscular (IM) injections at present. F.H.'s INR(International Normalized Ratio) on admission is 2.8; bloodpressure is 135/75; lab tests were within normal limits. F.H.'sphysician requests an anticoagulation consult to aid him indetermining the timing of surgery and venothromboembolism (VTE)prophylaxis. What do you suggest?

Technician-only CEs bore us, and the topics are rudimentary andrepetitive.

Consumers view the new drug benefit with caution, concern, and some optimism

There may be relief in sight for pharmacists frustrated with confusing and even contradictory electronic messages beamed their way by Part D insurance plans, thanks to a work group created by associations representing drugstore chains, independent pharmacy, and health insurance plans.

Things are looking up in relation to Medicare Part D, according to Mark McClellan, head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In early March, he addressed an audience of 700 pharmacists from New England on the status of the drug benefit, as the program passed its 60th day in operation. The presentation was the keynote address at the 66th Howard L. Reed Conference, sponsored by the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

Some pharmacies will not survive the next 12 months. The longer pharmacy waits to break longstanding links between pharmacy product and pharmacy reimbursement, the bleaker the prospects.

Innovative delivery of drugs that are already Food & Drug Administration-approved appears to be the way of the future. And, in many cases, the future is already here. While great strides have been made in the development of new drug entities, an often easier way for companies to maintain market share and compete with generics is to utilize newer delivery techniques with older drugs already proven effective. In many cases, the new developments will offer additional advantages such as ease of administration, fewer side effects, and increased patient compliance. Here are a few examples of products in the pipeline with unique formulations.

The Food & Drug Administration recently approved hepatitis B immune globulin [human] (HepaGam B, Cangene) for the treatment of acute exposure to blood containing hepatitis B surface antigens (HBsAg), perinatal exposure of infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers, sexual exposure to HBsAg-positive persons, and household exposure to those with acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

Use of nonselective monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) to treat depression has fallen from favor in recent years due to significant side effects and the development of newer agents with improved safety profiles.

Brandishing signs and chanting slogans, protesters gathered on the steps of the San Francisco convention center to urge the American Pharmacists Association to take a stand against the Medicare drug plan. Meanwhile, inside the convention hall, APhA conference attendees got the bad news that only 5% of Part D plans are using any community-based providers for medication therapy management (MTM) programs.

The "single most brutal issue" with Part D will occur this summer when enrollees hit the donut hole and start paying out-of-pocket for their medications, according to George Pillari, CEO of Copay Solutions.

Perhaps heeding the dire warnings that pharmacies will be drivenout of Medicaid by a new drug pricing formula, HHS issued a Roadmapto Medicaid Reform that reminds states that they can pay higherdispensing fees to independent pharmacies, pharmacies serving alarge number of low-income beneficiaries, or pharmacies in ruralareas to ensure access.

As the May 15 deadline approaches for Medicare Part D enrollment, CVS is continuing its efforts to educate and inform seniors about the new prescription drug benefit plan. Medicare Tuesdays returns to CVS pharmacies from April 11 to May 9, featuring a staff member who will answer questions and help patients review available drug benefit plans.

Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana is offering up to $1,000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest of suspect(s) responsible for pharmacy robberies in the central Indiana area. The robberies occurred at a Kroger Pharmacy in Carmel, a CVS in Westfield, and a CVS in Zionsville.

CVS/pharmacy Charitable Trust and CVS/pharmacy announced the creation of CVS All Kids Can, a five-year, $25 million commitment to making life easier for children with disabilities.

Independent dialysis facilities are getting paid by Medicare for darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp, Amgen) and other new end-stage renal disease drugs more than what they are paying to acquire them. That's the conclusion of a new report from the Office of Inspector General.

Conceding that there are too many Part D prescription drug plans for Medicare beneficiaries to choose from now, HHS is limiting the number of PDPs insurers can offer from three per region this year to two next year. Insurers that offer enhanced coverage may have more leeway to offer three plans.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is responsible for 200,000 fatalities each year in the United States. Yet, according to the results of a recent study conducted by Premier Inc. and researchers from the University of California, Irvine, hospitals aren't doing such a great job of protecting patients from dangerous blood clots that form in veins.

Patients in the Asheville Project for asthma had improved outcomes over five years, including fewer ER visits and hospitalizations, according to researchers. In addition to better clinical outcomes through pharmacist interventions, annual direct cost savings averaged $725 per patient and annual indirect cost savings were estimated at $1,230 per patient, including less absenteeism.