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Managed care organizations are implementing various methods to control their spiralling specialty pharmaceutical costs

More states set up preferred drug lists

Pharmacy board officials lament over dangers related to drug reimportation

Clinicians will soon be able to offer their patients with upper respiratory infections (URIs) an antibiotic that avoids bacterial resistance by 2 different mechanisms. The FDA recently approved telithromycin (Ketek, Aventis), the first member of the ketolide class of antibiotics to be approved for use in the U.S. Telithromycin is approved for the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, or Moraxella catarrhalis; acute bacterial sinusitis due to S. pneumoniae, M. catarrhalis, or Staphylococcus aureus; and community-acquired pneumonia of mild-to-moderate severity due to S. pneumoniae (including multidrug-resistant isolates), H. influenzae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, or Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The drug will be available in pharmacies by the end of July.

Another state, New Jersey, passes law requiring hospitals to report med errors

A record number of pharmacists requested transfer of their licensures to other states in 2003, according to a National Association of Boards of Pharmacy survey.

Pharmacist interventions can make a difference in patient care, according to a study presented at the American Pharmacists Association's 2004 annual meeting.

AAAAI meeting presents new research findings on treatment for anaphylaxis.

Happy Harry's Discount Drug Stores is Drug Topics' chain of the year in 2004

Medication errors in patient's homes and USP's recommendations on how to avoid them.

Pharmacies must start preparing for new security requirements, which are looming

The reformulation of Kaopectate means there will be three versions of the product out on the market, creating a potential for drug errors

A Washington state pilot project allows trained pharmacists to prescribe and dispense birth control pills and devices to women who fill out a health screening questionnaire.

This installment depicts a contrast between two customers

Community pharmacies are pulling out all the stops to derail mandatory mail-order plans

Do black box warnings on drugs do a good job of managing risk?

Breaking News for April 19, 2004

JC Penney's sale of Eckerd to Jean Coutu group and CVS

Some 28 companies have been chosen by CMS to offer Medicare discount cards

Patients in need of, or currently receiving, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy now have a branded formulation of paroxetine that is bioequivalent to paroxetine hydrochloride (Paxil, GlaxoSmithKline), yet available at a significant discount. The FDA recently approved paroxetine (Pexeva, Synthon Pharmaceuticals) mesylate for the treatment of major depressive disorder, obsessive/compulsive disorder (OCD), and panic disorder. The product is currently available in pharmacies.

New drug delivery systems such as transdermal patches can keep drugs and biological agents at desirable levels in the body, reducing the need for frequent dosing and improving compliance. Said Robert S. Langer, Ph.D., the Kenneth J. Germeshausen Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, "Because of recent technological innovations, patient compliance is improving tremendously and new treatments are being developed." Such drug delivery systems may benefit those with mental illness. Continuous medication use is absolutely necessary for these patients, because of the "24/7" nature of conditions such as schizophrenia, said Robert R. Conley, MD, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacy science at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. Langer and Conley spoke at an AMA media briefing held recently in New York City. Funding for the conference was provided by an unrestricted educational grant from Janssen..

JCAHO, AHA offer new help to hospitals to improve stroke care.

The author makes the case for pharmacists to provide more than drug information to patients when they counsel them

Drug Topics interviews Gary Beuhler, director of the FDA's Office of Generic Drugs

Pharmacist Martha Lyon pilots a pharmacy disguised as a 34-foot motorhome around the North Carolina mountains delivering free medications to folks in need.

Patients express their appreciation for their pharmacist

Highlights of Congressional hearing on Medicare-endorsed Rx card

Symbax (olanzapine and fluoxetine) capsules for bipolar depression