Chain Pharmacy

In the pharmacy, an array of foot-care products awaits patients who can't stand it anymore.

Pharmacists who collaborate with ACOs can find many ways to exercise their skills and expand their knowledge. Partnerships are popping up everywhere, and so are the opportunities.

ISMP reports that a growing number of cases of oral vaccines intended to protect children against rotavirus gastroenteritis are mistakenly being injected.

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has launched moxifloxacin HCl tablets, 400 mg, a therapeutic equivalent generic version of Avelox on March 4, following FDA approval.

Pharmacy groups, representing more than 100,000 pharmacists in different pharmacy practice settings, have written to CMS Administrator Marilyn B. Tavenner to express their support for the expansion of medication therapy management (MTM) services to Medicare Part D beneficiaries in the CMS proposal released in early January.

Warfarin use may be safe following a heart attack in patients with both atrial fibrillation and chronic kidney disease, according to a Swedish study of more than 24,000 patients.

Teen can buy generic morning-after contraceptive directly from OTC shelves without proving age.

FDA advisors decided against recommending over-the-counter (OTC) marketing approval of Primatene HFA inhaler (Armstrong Pharmaceuticals) for the temporary relief of mild symptoms of intermittent asthma in patients 12 years and older, at last week’s joint meeting of the FDA’s Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and the Pulmonary-Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee.

The DEA proposal to move hydrocodone combination products from Schedule III to Schedule II could have a major impact on pharmacies.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has endorsed a congressional proposal to establish a workgroup to collaborate on solutions to reduce prescription drug abuse and without comprising access to medications.

Health Mart launched its 2014 Healthy Living Tour during the Independent Pharmacy Business Growth Conference in Orlando, Fla. Pharmacists and other healthcare professionals will visit more than 130 communities across the United States providing health education and free health screenings.

Blood pressure medications used by many older adults can increase the risk of serious fall injuries by 30% to 40%.

18 research centers are working to establish guidelines for safe step-down procedures for patients with well-controlled asthma.

Azithromycin, a commonly prescribed antibiotic for common infections since the early 1990s, is becoming less effective because of growing antimicrobial resistance.

Forest Laboratories plans to discontinue the sale of memantine HCl (Namenda) 5-mg and 10-mg tablets effective August 15, 2014. Forest has notified FDA of this decision.

Hy-Vee has announced it is expanding its specialty pharmacy business with the purchase of Amber Pharmacy, which has locations in Omaha, Chicago, Dallas, and Philadelphia. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Actavis plans to purchase Forest Laboratories for approximately $25 billion in a cash and equity deal, creating a combination of “two of the world’s fastest growing specialty pharmaceutical companies, with combined annual revenues of more than $15 billion in 2015,” according to a Feb. 18 announcement.

Missouri is the only state that has not adopted a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) for controlled substances.

A Christian pharmacist in Tennessee has filed a federal lawsuit against Walgreens claiming the chain fired him for refusing to sell the Plan B morning after pill.

Michigan will be the first state to standardize concentrations for children’s liquid prescriptions, due to a statewide initiative to reduce pediatric medication errors.

A federal grand jury has indicted a Michigan pharmacy CEO and several of its employees in a $60 million fraud case in which drugs previously dispensed to nursing homes and adult foster care homes were restocked and resold.

Employers believe specialty pharmacies provide better access to pharmacists and lower costs for specialty drugs, according to a recent survey by Pharmacy Benefits Management Institute.

Patients who take low-dose aspirin daily can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 20%.

Among patients with high ASCVD risk, lower-intensity statin plus a bile acid sequestrant or ezetimibe lowered LDL cholesterol as well as higher-intensity statin mono therapy did.

Analysts expect to see key developments in categories that include cancer, heart failure, obesity and diabetes, and hepatitis C. They also look toward some greatly needed antibiotics to deploy in the war against superbugs.