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DrugMax, a specialty pharmacy and medical specialty product provider, announced that it plans to open two new pharmacies in leading medical office buildings during the second half of 2006. The company is also in discussion with existing physician group partners to launch additional pharmacies this year.

Medicare prescription drug plans generally provided incomplete and inaccurate information to callers who asked questions about the new benefit, according to a new GAO report entitled "Medicare Part D: Prescription Drug Plan Sponsor Call Center Responses Were Prompt, but Not always Accurate." Investigators placed 900 calls to 10 of the largest companies that offer drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries and reached representatives in 864 of those calls.

Oregon State University is launching a new continuing education course entitled "Management and Human Resource Skills for Pharmacists." The course Web site is at http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/online-degrees/human-resources-pharmacy.

Prescribing physicians will now be able to initiate treatment for Type 2 diabetes with GlaxoSmithKline's Avandamet, a combination product containing both rosiglitazone maleate and metformin HCl, following a recent approval by the FDA. Previously, the drug was approved only as a second-line therapy in patients whose diabetes was uncontrolled on metformin alone.

The FDA is warning consumers not to purchase or consume Zimaxx, Libidus, Neophase, Nasutra, Vigor-25, Actra-Rx, or 4EVERON. These products are promoted and sold on Web sites as "dietary supplements" for treating erectile dysfunction (ED) and enhancing sexual performance, but they are in fact illegal drugs that contain potentially harmful undeclared ingredients.

CHD Meridian Healthcare, an I-trax Inc. company, has opened an employer-sponsored on-site pharmacy for Vermeer Manufacturing, an agricultural and industrial equipment manufacturing company based in Pella, Iowa. The pharmacy offers prescription services at a substantial cost savings to Vermeer and its more than 7,000 employees, dependents, and retirees.

Aetna is launching a new program that will provide consumers with discounts of 10% to 50% off the cost of routine health expenses such as doctor visits and certain healthcare services, discounts of 10% to 40% off the average wholesale price of prescription medications, and a prepaid debit card to pay for discounted services at Aetna participating health care providers that accept Visa. The new program, called Vital Savings on Health, will be available to employers of all sizes on Sept. 1 in Denver and southern New Jersey and on Oct. 1 in Tampa, Fla., and Raleigh, N.C.

CVS Corp. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Minneapolis-based MinuteClinic, a provider of retail-based health clinics. MinuteClinic will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of CVS Corp.

FFF Enterprises, Temecula, Calif., a national distributor of flu vaccine, has a new service available at MyFluVaccine.com. The service allows customers to place orders on-line and to select their delivery dates.

FDA has completed its safety assessment of Sanofi Aventis' Ketek (telithromycin) and is advising health practitioners and patients to be aware of rare but potentially serious health risks. Ketek is the first FDA-approved antibiotic of the ketolide class.

Merck announced that the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) unanimously voted to recommend that children four to six years of age receive a second dose of varicella vaccine for the prevention of chickenpox. Merck's Varivax (varicella virus vaccine live, Oka/Merck) and Proquad (measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella virus vaccine live, Oka/Merck) are the only vaccines to protect against chickenpox in the United States.

FFF Enterprises, Temecula, Calif., a national distributor of flu vaccine, has a new service available at MyFluVaccine.com. The service allows customers to place orders on-line and to select their delivery dates.

Pharmacists were rated the best at healthcare customer service, according to a survey of 7,479 consumers by BIGresearch, a market intelligence firm. Two-thirds of those surveyed think pharmacists provide a good or excellent level of customer service.

Planned Parenthood of the Rockies plans to give out free morning-after contraceptives at its clinics in Colorado to protest the Governor's veto of a bill that would have allowed pharmacists to prescribe and dispense Plan B. Gov. Bill Owens opposed spreading prescriptive authority beyond doctors and specialized nurses because it was outside the norms of medicine. Eight states permit trained R.Ph.s to prescribe and dispense Plan B.

IVAX Pharmaceuticals is recalling certain lots of 500-mg acetaminophen tablets and capsules because there's an error on the product label. The label incorrectly states, "Do not exceed 12 tablets or capsules in a 24-hour period," when it should have said, "Do not exceed 8 tablets or capsules in 24 hours."

The dental supply company Pascal is recalling the company's anticavity fluoride rinses because they could be contaminated with bacteria that may cause pneumonia, including Burkholderia cepacia and Pseudomonas ?ruginosa. The recall affects all lots and all flavors of NeutraGard 0.05% Neutral Sodium Fluoride Anticavity Treatment Rinse, and NeutraGard Plus 0.2% Neutral Sodium Fluoride Anticavity Treatment Rinse.

Walgreens announced that it has agreed to acquire Pittsburgh-based Medmark Specialty Pharmacy Solutions. Medmark is a leader in specialty pharmacy services and care, including injectables, infusibles, and advanced oral medications to patients with unique or chronic medication needs for conditions such as hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, HIV, infertility, hemophilia, organ transplants, and cancer.

Walgreen Co. has acquired C&M Pharmacy, LLC, a 10-year-old Chicago-based specialty pharmacy. C&M Pharmacy serves patients with HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, and behavioral health conditions.

The New Jersey budget impasse that shut down non-essential government services has hit pharmacies. All claims for Medicaid and PAAD scripts filled up to and including June 30 will be paid, but claims after that date will not be reimbursed until a new budget is adopted.

Purdue Pharma has filled the first orders for its electronic customer ordering system for controlled substances. The system provides secure, paperless real-time access to information about the movement of controlled substances in the supply chain in accordance with DEA requirements, according to the drug company based in Stamford, Conn.

More than seven out of 10 people who responded to a Drug Topics Instant Poll in June are in favor of a New Hampshire law that would ban pharmacies and data-mining companies from selling their prescription data for commercial purposes. They feel the law has merit since it would stop drug reps from getting access to data on what drugs physicians prescribe and using the information to influence prescribing.

PhRMA has revamped its Spanish-language Web site. The new site, found at www.phrma.org/espanol or www.nuestraphrma.org, includes patient-friendly information on health topics and issues of concern to Hispanic audiences.

The FDA announced that Baxter Healthcare Corp. and two of its top corporate executives have signed a consent decree of condemnation and permanent injunction for certain infusion pumps made by the firm. They agreed to stop manufacturing and distributing within the United States all models of the Colleague Volumetric Infusion Pump (Colleague) and the Syndeo Patient Controlled Analgesic Syringe Pump (Syndeo) until they correct manufacturing deficiencies and until the devices are made in compliance with the FDA's current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) requirements and the Quality System (QS) regulation for devices.

To better serve the prescription drug needs of chronic-disease outpatient populations, one of the largest disease management companies is aligning its services with a pharmacy benefit manager in a 10-year collaboration. Medco Health Solutions, a PBM based in Franklin Lakes, N.J., and Nashville-based Healthways recently announced details of a newly formed alliance. The key advantage for patient members will be intervention by pharmacists and other clinical educators armed with more pertinent information earlier in the patient's plan of care. The companies project that the long-term results will be better compliance with clinical practice guidelines, a decreased risk of hospitalization, and ultimately a healthier lifestyle for each patient served by the program.

Caution and vigilance can help pharmacists make the right choice when hiring technicians

Prior to the implementation of Medicare Part D, many senior citizens depended on prescription assistance programs (PAPs) offered by pharmaceutical manufacturers. These programs provide free or low-cost prescription medicine to low-income people who meet the eligibility guidelines.

After almost three years, the Food & Drug Administration has approved Omnitrope (somatropin, Sandoz) as a follow-on version of Pfizer's Genotropin. "Its approval is beneficial for everyone. It also increases competition in the growth hormone market, which will hopefully reduce the price of growth hormones," stated Anita Siu, Pharm.D. and clinical neonatal/ pediatric pharmacotherapy specialist and assistant clinical professor at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey.