Community Practice

Charleston, W.V., is the market with the highest incidence of people who purchased medicine for diabetes over the past year, according to Scarborough Research. Of consumers in this market, 15% are diabetes medication purchasers, followed by Knoxville, Tenn. (14%), Memphis (11%), Columbus, Ohio (11%), and Tulsa, Okla. (11%).

SMARxT Disposal is a program to educate consumers about new prescription drug-disposal guidelines.

DA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., recently told a group of attendees of the Consumer Healthcare Product Association's annual executive conference in Naples, Fla., that in order to increase consumer access to healthcare products, stakeholders should explore "new ways that might include the opportunity to think through and pursue the process of a third class of drugs regulated by FDA."

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has adopted the unanimous recommendations of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the use of Gardasil.

The cholesterol-fighting drug simvastatin, the generic equivalent of Zocor, will be added to the list of drugs included in Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's GenericSelect pharmacy program.

Synder's Drug Stores has selected Trintech Group's ReconNET On-Demand and the DataFlow Transaction Network to streamline reconciliation processes across its enterprise.

ASHP wants pharmacists in hospital and health-system pharmacy to report problems they encounter with bar-coded medications. They want to know if those problems interrupt patient care or pharmacy efficiency.

Henri R. Manasse Jr., Ph.D., executive VP and CEO of ASHP, has been named the recipient of the society's 2007 Harvey A. K. Whitney Lecture Award.

DermaFreeze365 Instant Line Relaxing Formula and DermaFreeze365 Neck and Chest. The products were recalled because certain lots tested positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria.

Health Mart, a leader in independent pharmacy franchises, is launching its first national advertising campaign in May.

The Convenient Care Association (CCA) has issued 10 mandatory standards in an effort to ensure consistent, high-quality care at retail clinics nationwide.

CMS is planning to implement systems changes that will help speed up responses to E1 eligibility queries.

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has announced the FDA approval of BeneFIX R2 Kit

Zanaflu will be the brand name for ANX-211, also known as chitosan gel, an intranasal/topical antiviral that has demonstrated efficacy against viruses responsible for the common cold, influenza, and other respiratory tract viral infections.

The FDA has created a Web site that will warn patients of the dangers of purchasing isotretinoin on-line.

TennCare, the Tennessee Medicaid program, reduced its overall pharmacy spending from $2.4 billion in 2005 to $1.2 billion in 2006, according to analysis by HealthLeaders-InterStudy.

NACDS has sent a letter to The Wall Street Journal to correct information in an article entitled, "Medicaid Proposal Is Bitter Pill for Pharmacies."

ACPE will be more rigorous in reviewing Pharmacy schools for accreditation. The change is spurred in part by the Department of Education, which surveys ACPE. Thanks to a more demanding DOE, ACPE put two pharmacy schools on probation recently.

HHS has released a 128-page report on realizing the promise of pharmacogenomics (PGx). The report discusses, among other issues, the educational needs of pharmacists, physicians, and other health professionals; PGx tests sold over the counter in drugstores; and the liability to M.D.s and R.Ph.s from off-label use of PGx.

FDA is issuing a final rule establishing that over the counter laxative drug products in granular dosage form containing the bulk-forming ingredients psyllium (hemicellulose), psyllium hydrophilic mucilloid, psyllium seed, psyllium seed (blond), psyllium seed husks, plantago ovata husks, and plantago seed are not generally recognized as safe and effective and are misbranded.

Here is the answer to the Rx Puzzler

What emergency medical countermeasures should the U.S. employ against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats?

It's not official until AMA publishes its CPT Manual 2008, but APhA officials are confirming that the CPT billing codes for medication therapy management are switching from a temporary to a permanent status.

Recognizing the growing problem of prescription drug abuse among teenagers, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is partnering with pharmacy organizations to combat the problem.

Patients six years of age and older with primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures can now use levetiracetam (Keppra, UCB) as an adjunctive therapy to treat their epilepsy.

Patients with HER2-positive advanced or metastatic breast cancer whose disease has progressed following treatment with an anthracycline, a taxane, and trastuzumab (Herceptin, Genentech) will now have a new therapeutic option. Lapatinib (Tykerb, GlaxoSmithKline) has been approved by the FDA for use in combination with capecitabine (Xeloda, Roche) following a priority review.

CMS has launched a durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Implementation Contractor (CBIC) Web site.

Medicare Part D patients now have detailed instructions on how to appeal decisions.

The next several years are expected to be sweet for the generic drug industry and rather bitter for brand pharmaceutical companies as they gear up to defend numerous patent challenges. This is a list of brand pharmaceuticals that will lose their patents through 2009.

This is the story of my bout with Lyme disease and what a harrowing experience it's been. I hope that by telling my story, I can help you learn from my experience and apply it to your practice.