Community Practice

Pharmacy directors who want to - or have to - operate 24/7 but don't have the staff to cover all 3 shifts have a new ally, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

The number of e-prescriptions filled last year soared 181% to 191 million, according to "Advancing Healthcare in America," a report issued by Surescripts in Alexandria, Va.

As Americans increasingly turn to vitamins and herbal supplements as alternatives to prescription drug use, medical professionals and government leaders worry that few realize the implications.

Patients treated over long periods with the diabetes drug metformin (Glucophage, Bristol-Myers Squibb) are at risk of developing vitamin-B12 deficiency, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal, Reuters has reported.

FDA is investigating hundreds of consumer complaints involving children's medicines recalled by Johnson & Johnson on April 30, according to a congressional memo, the Associated Press reported.

Pharmacists are the most trusted source for medical research information, according to a recent survey.

Walgreens and CVS Caremark have signed a multi-year contract to keep Walgreens in the Caremark pharmacy network, resolving recent issues between the drugstore chains, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has responded favorably to concerns expressed in April by the American Pharmacists Association and six other pharmacy associations.

Pharmacists Planning Service, Inc. is calling for papers for its 17th International Public Health & Pharmacy Issues Conference aboard Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas.

Patients whose doctors over-prescribe antibiotics may develop drug resistance that can last up to a year, putting them and others at risk when more serious treatment is needed, according to a study published in May in the British Medical Journal.

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) will present the latest in pharmacy education, case studies, and real-world, business-oriented information for the independent community-pharmacy industry at its 112th Annual Convention and Trade Exposition taking place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia Oct. 23 to 27.

FDA notified consumers and healthcare professionals that a product represented as "Generic Tamiflu" being sold on the Internet does not contain Tamiflu's active ingredient, oseltamivir, but cloxacillin, an ingredient in the same class of antibiotics as penicillin.

FDA last month launched "FDA Drug Info Rounds," a new educational video series for pharmacists.

FDA will provide access to its health information for consumers through a collaboration with Drugs.com, which will post the information at its website and on its mobile phone platform.

FDA announced that it will release risk summaries about medicines approved after September 2007 and post them quarterly to a publicly accessible website, Reuters reported.

FDA has informed four consumer genomics services providers and Illumina that it believes the firms are selling unapproved diagnostic devices, according to a report published by the GenomeWeb Daily News.

CVS Caremark and Generation Health announced 13 drug therapies that will be included in the initial offering of their integrated Genetic Benefit Management service.

FDA has cleared Simplexa Influenza A H1N1 (2009), a test for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus in patients with signs and symptoms of respiratory infection.

In 2009, the drug trend for children, a measure of prescription-spending growth, increased 10.8%, driven by a 5% increase in drug utilization and higher medication costs, according to the Medco "2010 Drug Trend Report."

Which drugs were most popular in 2009? Check out Drug Topics' list of the Top 200 generic drugs in 2009, ranked by total prescriptions.

Which drugs were most popular in 2009? Check out Drug Topics' lists of the Top 200 generic drugs in 2009, ranked by retail dollars.

Which drugs were most popular in 2009? Check out Drug Topics' list of the Top 200 branded drugs in 2009, ranked by total prescriptions.

Which drugs were most popular in 2009? Check out Drug Topics' list of the Top 200 branded drugs in 2009, ranked by retail dollars.

A survey of new Rx, new generic, and new OTC products

As part of Earth Week 2010, California pharmacies and the Marin Sanitary District collaborated to reduce household amounts of mercury, a toxic substance associated with damage to the nervous system, kidneys, liver, lungs, and immune system.