All News

Lehigh Valley Hospital explores risk sharing contracts with pharma manufacturers

How to prepare for the new security standards, which take effect next year

While urinary tract infections in women are the second most frequent reason antibiotics are prescribed for women, many ignore symptoms or don't take steps necessary to prevent infection.

Breaking News for May 17, 2004

Certain pancreatic drugs could be withdrawn from market unless their manufacturers go through NDA process

Abstract of speech given by Mary Sammons at NACDS Annual Meeting 2004

Manufacturers keep churning out low carb entries that can be profitable for pharmacies

AMCP meeting sees debate between two laywers on whether contracts are public or private information

Arxcel Rx benefit research survey 2004

PCMA launches new ad campaign about discount cards for Medicare beneficiaries

Ketek is a new antibiotic for treatment of infections in the lung and sinus.

Community pharmacy groups sponsoring Medicare-approved Rx discount cards are seeking clarification of the HHS office of inspector general's warning that fees to pharmacists may be kickbacks.

Pharmacy-based bone mineral density screening found that 78% of patients were unware of their risk of fractures and 70% of the moderate or high risk patients referred to a physician actually visited the doctor and 24% of those patients were started on therapy, according to the Project ImPACT: Osteoporosis study.

2004 Index of Articles

Stockchecker from Hamacher on low carb items

The proliferation of two-in-one drugs calls for increased caution on the part of health professionals

Buying reimported drugs carries risks

CHPA session featuring Bodine from CVS and Fuller from NACDS talking about challenges in pharmacy

To control rising drug costs, companies are resorting to innovations in benefit design

Breaking News for May 3, 2004 issue

Two legal rulings favor PBMs over community pharmacists

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.