Clinical twisters: Resolving HF 'revolving door'
May 22nd 2006A 68-year-old man is hospitalized with shortness of breath,fatigue, and 2+ edema-his third hospitalization in 12 months.He has heart failure (HF) (currently New York Heart Associationclass IV, ejection fraction 20%), LVH, and MI history. Heart rhythmis normal; lungs clear; lab tests within normal limits excepthemoglobin510.5 gm/dl, SrCr52.3 mg/dl; BP5160/90, pulse 85,respiratory rate522. Admitting medications: furosemide 80 mg,potassium (K), benazepril 20 mg, aspirin 81 mg, carvedilol (Coreg,GlaxoSmithKline) 6.25 mg twice daily. The resident continues allmedications, increasing furosemide to 80 mg twice daily. He askswhether adding digoxin might reduce future hospitalizations.
Personalized medicine is new watchword
May 22nd 2006The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recently sponsoreda roundtable discussion called Cancer Care in the 21stCentury-Reality and Promise. The panelists discussed a widerange of topics, including the most important advances in cancercare since the war on cancer was declared during the NixonAdministration in 1972 and how pharmacogenomics is revolutionizingcancer treatment. The roundtable meeting, at which the group ofoncology leaders assembled for the first time, took place duringthe NCCN 11th Annual Conference, held recently in Hollywood, Fla.
MTM takes center stage at AMCP meeting
May 22nd 2006Medication therapy management (MTM) was the recurring theme at thisyear's Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) meeting, heldrecently in Seattle. The American Pharmacists Association led aworking group of 11 pharmacy organizations to define MTM servicesin 2004. This year, a similar working group led by AMCP defined MTMprograms. The resulting consensus document was presented at theAMCP meeting.
Are in-store clinics right for you?
May 22nd 2006Increased customer satisfaction and Rx drug sales ... New pharmacy and supermarket customers ... Another way to differentiate yourself from the competition. These are some of the potential benefits of opening an in-store clinic. You may want to be the first on the block to provide that point of difference. If you don't do it, you may be at a competitive loss.
JP at Large: The best and the worst
May 22nd 2006When I think of the best job I ever had, I have vivid, pleasantmemories. There was pharmacist overlap-and that is the singlemost important criterion for a job to even get in the running forbest job. One of us came in at 9:00 a.m., and the other started hisshift at noon. We worked together for four hours. There was aconstant back-and-forth banter in the pharmacy. The techs jumpedinto the fun with both feet. We joked and laughed and kidded eachother. There were times when the topic of the day was not so funny.We stuck together when a tech needed to clear her head about animpending divorce. Once there was the stress of a child being hitby a car. For me, it was a second family.
Development of antibiotics a good sign
May 22nd 2006The CDC now estimates that more than 70% of bacteria that causehospital-acquired infections are resistant to at least one of thedrugs most commonly used to treat them. With an antibiotic pipelinethat has been quite dry for some time, clinicians continue to worryabout how they'll treat patients who develop resistant infections.Given the unrelenting nature of bacteria to mutate in an effort tooutsmart even the most powerful antibiotics, creating newanti-infectives will always be required. Here are several drugs,currently under review by the FDA, that may soon offer us a fewmuch-needed options:
USP seeks comment for proposed revisions to Chapter 797
May 15th 2006USP has announced a public comment and review period process forproposed changes to USP General Chapter 797 PharmaceuticalCompounding of Sterile Preparations. The public comment period willend on Aug 15. In addition, USP will host a series of six Webinarsdesigned to provide additional information on the proposedrevisions.
Eye infection due to contact lens use confirmed in 31 states
May 15th 2006CDC has confirmed that an aggressive fungal eye infectionassociated with contact lens use has now been found in 31 statesand may be affecting more than 200 people. U.S. health officialssaid 32 of 58 people with fungal infections used Bausch &Lomb's ReNu with MoistureLoc, which Bausch & Lomb voluntarilypulled from the market on April 10.
NACDS Foundation donates to scholarships
May 15th 2006The NACDS Foundation has donated $216,500 in scholarships to beshared by all 92 pharmacy schools. The awards ranged from $1,000 to$20,000. In a random drawing for the largest awards, $20,000 wentto Wayne State University, while Idaho State University and PalmBeach Atlantic University each received $10,000.
CMS mandates 180-day Part D claims
May 15th 2006CMS has mandated that Part D drug plans allow 180 days for filingclaims incurred between Jan. 1 and June 30. Problems withcoordination of benefits have required the reversal of claims andrebilling to the appropriate payer. Since a lack of information ledpharmacies to sometimes bill the wrong payer, they should not beheld to the usual 30- to 90-day timely billing standard, CMSconcluded.
TestPak launches new child-resistant packaging solution
May 15th 2006TestPak, a N.J.-based healthcare contract packager, announced itplans to acquire and install the first production equipment tosupport its launch of Stora Enso's Pharma SHR child-resistant andsenior-friendly packaging system. The installation is slated forthis month.
Walgreens offers advice on hurricane preparedness
May 15th 2006Walgreens is offering the following suggestions to help pharmacypatients in the event of a hurricane evacuation: evacuate to a safelocation and refill your medication at a pharmacy there; take awaterproof bag with your current medication, even if the bottle isempty-the information on the label will help the pharmacistrefill your medicine once you arrive at your destination; keep awritten record of your current prescriptions, dosage, and doctor'scontact information in your valuable papers file, especially if youare taking several Rx drugs. Walgreens patients can register atWalgreens.com and print out this information directly from theirpatient profile.
Roche targets consumers in anticounterfeiting initiative
May 15th 2006The maker of influenza drug Tamiflu (oseltamivir) has releasedconsumer guidelines to help protect patients from purchasingcounterfeit products. Among other things, Roche recommends patientsuse caution when buying the drug on-line, be wary of offers to sellmedications without a valid prescription, and only purchase from alicensed pharmacy.
Warning of kidney failure issued for bowel cleansers
May 15th 2006The FDA has issued an alert to both healthcare workers andconsumers following 21 reports of a type of renal failure known asacute phosphate nephropathy. The problems occurred following use ofthese oral sodium phosphate (OSP) products for bowel cleansingprior to a colonoscopy: Fleet Phospho-soda, Fleet Accu-Prep, andVisicol.
Unique dosing for new minocycline
May 15th 2006The FDA has given the nod to Solodyn, the first minocycline productapproved for once-daily dosing in the treatment of inflammatorylesions of non-nodular moderate to severe acne vulgaris.Manufacturer Medicis claims that Solodyn is not bioequivalent toany other minocycline product and is the only extended-releaseminocycline in tablet form.
SAMHSA data on drug-related ER visits released
May 15th 2006The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration(SAMHSA) unveiled findings from its new Drug Abuse Warning Network(DAWN) showing almost two million drug-related emergency departmentvisits in 2004. Of these, nearly 1.3 million ER visits wereassociated with drug misuse or abuse.
Lilly extends assistance plan for Medicare-eligible
May 15th 2006Patients eligible for but not yet enrolled in Medicare Part D cancontinue to receive medications through Eli Lilly's LillyAnswerspatient assistance program through the end of the year. To continueto receive the drugs, patients must have been enrolled inLillyAnswers as of last December.