Health System

A letter about Walgreens' POWER program gets David Stanley asking questions.

A roundup of information on CHA2DS2-VASc score versus CHADS2 as a thromboembolism determinant; the incidence of pulmonary embolism in knee arthroscopy patients; the increase of venous thromboembolism with antipsychotic drug use.

DEA's "Office of Diversion Control" prevents, detects, and investigates the diversion of controlled substances from legitimate sources while ensuring an adequate and uninterrupted supply for legitimate medical needs. To accomplish this mission, the DEA sets forth regulations designed to prevent any such diversion.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Foundation is currently accepting applications for the 2011 Award for Excellence in Medication-Use Safety.

FDA has approved peginterferon alfa-2b (Sylatron, Merck) for the adjuvant treatment of melanoma with microscopic or gross nodal involvement within 84 days of definitive surgical resection including complete lymphadenectomy.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently decided to delay implementation of its proposed long-term-care ?short-cycle dispensing? rule and ease requirements for pharmacists.

NACDS has raised several concerns with the U.S. Pharmacopeia on prescription container labeling.

The anticholinergic drug tiotropium is more effective than the Β2-agonist salmeterol in preventing exacerbations in patients with moderate-to-very-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a multicenter European study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease may need 2 doses of adjuvanted split influenza A vaccine to elicit the same antibody response as healthy individuals, reported a recent Swiss study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Clopidogrel hypersensitivity, which affects 6% of patients, can be successfully treated using short-course corticosteroids and antihistamines without interrupting drug therapy, reported researchers at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.

Combining angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors with angiotensin-receptor blockers is associated with increased risk of adverse renal outcomes, according to a recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists recently published Anticoagulation Therapy: A Point-of-Care Guide for clinicians, pharmacists, and pharmacy residents.

The use of high-dose clopidogrel compared with use of standard-dose clopidogrel does not reduce the incidence of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or stent thrombosis among patients with high on-treatment reactivity after percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents, according to a recent multicenter study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Antibiotic use is rising at Veterans Affairs medical facilities across the country, according to findings released at the annual meeting in Dallas of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

Both the Food and Drug Administration and officials from a number of generic drug companies indicate they are in active talks on creating user fees to be paid by that industry to give the agency more resources to speed generics to the market, carry out inspections and other functions.

The American Pharmacists Association Foundation recently announced the first 25 healthcare organizations that will be participating in its Project IMPACT: Diabetes program.

APP Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Schaumburg, Ill., recently recalled 5 lots of irinotecan hydrochloride injection, used to treat recurrent or progressive metastatic colorectal cancer. Greenstone LLC has recalled 1 lot of Citalopram, used to treat depression, because the bottles may contain finasteride.

Naproxen/esomeprazole magnesium (Vimovo, AstraZeneca and Pozen) 500/20-mg delayed-release tablets was generally well tolerated in osteoarthritis patients requiring daily NSAID therapy who were at risk for NSAID-associated ulcers, according to a study published in Current Medical Research & Opinion.

5α-reductase inhibitors may cause persistent erectile dysfunction, depression, and loss of libido, even after discontinuing use, in men being treated for systems of benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenetic alopecia, according to a literature review published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus are commonly nonadherent to therapy, according to a recent study published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Prescription Solutions, a pharmacy benefits manager and a UnitedHealth Group company in Irvine, Calif., recently launched an online service that speeds up approval of prior authorization requests.

The risk of fracture is unlikely in patients taking short-term, low-dose proton pump inhibitors, according to a review of available safety data by FDA.

Evidence supports metformin as a first-line agent to treat type 2 diabetes, according to a study in the online edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

While Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, has offered the State of Florida $1 million for a pill mill database, the anticipated cost of sustaining the program may deter Florida Governor Rick Scott and other legislators from accepting the grant.

American Regent, a division of Luitpold Pharmaceuticals in Shirley, N.Y., recently recalled several lots of Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate Injection and Sodium Chloride Injection because they may contain particulates.