Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Pharmacy / Pharmacist News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/pharmacy/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118868.php A U.S. District Court judge in Los Angeles temporarily blocked implementation of a proposed 10% cut to Medi-Cal payments for doctors, dentists and pharmacies, stating the changes would violate federal laws and reduce the quality of medical care for millions of people, the Sacramento Bee reports (Yamamura/Sanders, Sacramento Bee, 8/20). Primary Care / General Practice Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118899.php Pharmavite LLC, maker of Nature Made® vitamins, urged caution against making final judgment on B vitamins for prevention and heart health. The most recent study titled "Mortality and Cardiovascular Events in Patients Treated with Homocysteine-Lowering B Vitamins After Coronary Angiography," is published in the August 20, 2008 edition of the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA). Pharmacy / Pharmacist Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118897.php A Federal District Court in Los Angeles ordered the state of California to stop the ten percent cuts in Medi-Cal reimbursement payments to healthcare providers. The Court found that pharmacies and other Medi-Cal providers and patients were being irreparably harmed as a result of the cuts and that the providers had show a likelihood of success on the merits. Pharmacies were losing money on nearly every Medi-Cal transaction and many pharmacies have been forced to turn away Medi-Cal patients. Pharmacy / Pharmacist Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118765.php The U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention announces the official opening of its newest international site located in the WTorre Technology Park, São Paulo, Brazil. The USP-Brazil facility supports USP's international public health mission to improve the health of people around the world through public standards and related programs that help ensure the quality and safety of medicines and foods. Pharmacy / Pharmacist Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118709.php Dr Margaret Watson has been announced winner of the Pharmacy Practice Research Trust's (the Trust) prestigious 2008 Practice Research Award. The award will be presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) 2008, on Tuesday 9 September, where Dr Watson will deliver a 30 minute lecture on her award-winning research. Pharmacy / Pharmacist Tue, 19 Aug 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118628.php WellNet Healthcare this month will launch a test version of Point to Point Healthcare, a social network linking users' physicians, pharmacists and insurance benefit managers, the Washington Post reports. IT / Internet / E-mail Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118625.php The Alliance for Patient Medication Safety will file a certification to be a Patient Safety Organization (PSO) with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) . The Alliance for Medication Safety will serve as the premier national patient-centric medication safety evaluation system in the country. Public Health Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118484.php The NPA believes that the reclassification of the bottle presentation of Calpol Six Plus from P to GSL could compromise patient safety, is anomalous in relation to other paracetamol products and is unnecessary as the product can be obtained in alternative packaging that carries less risk. Changes to the Prescription Only Medicines Order in 1998 were made to reduce the pack sizes of paracetamol available for sale to the public to prevent both accidental and intentional poisoning. Pediatrics / Children's Health Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118406.php The Drug Information Association (DIA), in collaboration with the FDA, Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society, Health Canada, and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, will host the 2nd Conference on Oligonucleotide-based Therapeutics (September 22 - 24; Falls Church, VA). Pharmacy / Pharmacist Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118408.php The ten percent Medi-Cal provider cuts that went into effect on July 1, 2008 have already created hardships throughout California for pharmacists and the patients they serve. More and more pharmacies have been forced to stop filling Medi-Cal prescriptions because pharmacies lose money on nearly every prescription filled. Pharmacy / Pharmacist Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118294.php The Commonwealth Government agreed to settle a civil claim which had been lodged in the Federal Court in Sydney by Pan Pharmaceuticals and its former Chief Executive. The claim which was part heard in the Federal Court during the past month, related to the Therapeutic Goods Administration's decision in 2003 to suspend Pan's manufacturing licence and recall the medicines it manufactured. Pharmacy / Pharmacist Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118279.php The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain is encouraging individual and team nominations for the PHARMAS for Pharmacy Awards 2008, which are being held in Birmingham on 12 October. Pharmacy / Pharmacist Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118113.php The NPA has responded to the Department of Health (DH) Consultation on economic modelling of vascular screening. The NPA is asking for the DH to review the contribution which community pharmacy can make as set out in the consultation document which is not in line with the DH recommendations in the Pharmacy White Paper 'Pharmacy in England Building in Strengths - delivering the future April 2008. Pharmacy / Pharmacist Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118114.php The NPA has responded to the NHS' Wider Release of Prescribing Data Consultation and expressed concern of the release of potential commercially sensitive data which could affect pharmacies neighbouring GP Surgeries. Pharmacy / Pharmacist Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118116.php NPA staff visited the Prescription Pricing Division HQ in Newcastle to relay the continuing concerns of pharmacists about the PPD's Capacity Improvement Programme (CIP). Raj Nutan (NPA Head of Business Development) and Stephen Fishwick (NPA Head of External Relations) were hosted by PPD Managing Director Brian Alexander and his senior staff. The NPA was given assurances that the new system for processing prescription payments is now running more smoothly, after a difficult start. Pharmacy / Pharmacist Wed, 13 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118049.php Online Internet shopping today offers many benefits. You can research a product in the privacy of your own home and purchase most anything by clicking a mouse. Erectile Dysfunction / Premature Ejaculation Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118039.php Adverse events from antibiotics cause an estimated 142,000 emergency department visits per year in the United States, according to a study published in the September 15, 2008 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases. "This number is an important reminder for physicians and patients that antibiotics can have serious side effects and should only be taken when necessary," said study author Daniel Budnitz, M.D., at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118029.php After failure of 1st generation thrombopoietic growth factors due to immunogencity, the 2nd generation is focused on oral TPO mimetics, now followed by a 3rd generation of engineered biologics with potential for higher potency and efficacy The Business Intelligence firm La Merie S.L. reported in its most recent pipeline update of thrombopoiesis stimulating agents that eight thrombopoietin (TPO) mimetics are in clinical stages of development. Pharmacy / Pharmacist Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/117960.php The Drug Information Association (DIA ) will host the first Innovation Forum (29-30 September; London, UK). Pharmacy / Pharmacist Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/117920.php For patients with clogged heart arteries who take long-term, low-dose aspirin to prevent a cardiac event, adding a stomach acid-blocking drug to their daily routine has been shown to reduce their risk for upper gastrointestinal bleeding an infrequent, but serious side-effect of regular aspirin use. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/117883.php The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers who filled prescriptions at The Medicine Shoppe pharmacies located at 8035A Liberty Road and 5900 Reisterstown Road in Baltimore that they may have received drugs that were either expired or suspected counterfeit. The FDA is particularly concerned because a number of the drugs are for serious diseases and could have an adverse effect on treatment. Pharmacy / Pharmacist Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/117849.php The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has begun lobbying House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders' staff in opposition to stricter track-and-trace rules in the wake of the recent salmonella outbreak, CongressDaily reports. Committee Chair John Dingell (D-Mich.) recently released a revised version of the drug portion of an Pharmacy / Pharmacist Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/117830.php In the drive to create safer, more effective drugs for cancer, Parkinson's disease, and other health challenges, researchers worldwide are stepping up efforts to produce purer substances based on a molecule's unique symmetry or chirality, according to Biology / Biochemistry Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/117814.php To help prescribers and pharmacists counsel patients concerned about the sleep-related adverse effects associated with zolpidem (Stilnox), the National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS) has released a position statement on the drug and sleep-related behaviours. Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/117811.php The administration of therapeutic drugs via injection is an indispensable delivery method for numerous drugs critical to patient health and well-being. Now this segment is evolving in response to changing patient populations, new classes of powerful therapeutic drugs, and healthcare administration initiatives. Medical Devices / Diagnostics