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

Featured at tables on insulin prepared by the American Diabetes Association

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?

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

The Medicare Rx drug benefit could slash independent pharmacies' gross margins by 8%, sending them over the edge of unprofitability, according to industry analyst Arthur Flynn.

More health plans/payers are looing beyond three-tier incentive-based formularies to four tier.

Oxycontin is at the center of several lawsuits to determine whether or not it will be marketed in a generic form.

The new Medicare drug law will be a boon to the generics industry.

As a defensive move to offset competition, brand manufacturers are striking licensing agreements with generic companies.

Direct-to-consumer ads for generics

USP drug safety review page

Top 200 generic drugs in 2003 by units