Enhanced pharmacist care improves LDL in patients with dyslipidemia
March 30th 2012Enhanced pharmacist care for patients with dyslipidemia improves low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, according to a study published in the March issue of Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy.
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Study: Texting enhances HIV therapy compliance
March 30th 2012Weekly mobile phone text messaging may help patients with human immunodeficiency virus adhere to antiretroviral therapy that is often associated with difficult side effects, according to a study published online March 14 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
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Community pharmacies file suit to block merger of Express Scripts, Medco
March 29th 2012he National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association, and 9 retail pharmacy companies filed a lawsuit Thursday to stop the proposed merger of pharmacy benefit manager giants Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions.
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FDA adds new label warnings for antidepressant citalopram
March 28th 2012FDA added new label warnings for the antidepressant citalopram (Celexa, Forest Laboratories), discouraging patients with certain conditions from using the drug and lowering the dosage recommendations to 20 mg daily for patients aged 60 and older. The warning is also applicable to generic versions of Celexa.
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FDA approves 'dry' nasal aerosol to treat allergy symptoms
March 26th 2012FDA has approved beclomethasone dipropionate (QNASL Nasal Aerosol, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries), a ?dry? nasal aerosol corticosteroid that treats year-round and seasonal nasal allergy symptoms in people aged 12 years and older.
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Ingenol mebutate gel is effective treatment for actinic keratosis, study shows
March 23rd 2012Ingenol mebutate topical gel (0.015% for face and scalp and 0.05% for trunk and extremities) was effective for treating actinic keratoses, a common precursor to sun-related, squamous cell carcinoma, according to a new study.
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Alzheimer’s drugs donepezil, memantine show some benefits in study
March 23rd 2012A new study of patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease found that extended treatment with donepezil could improve cognition and function for even severe patients; however, experts caution that the benefits of the drug were modest.
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Clinical pharmacists can help reduce discrepancies in patient medication histories
March 23rd 2012Clinical pharmacists were instrumental in reducing errors in patients' physician-acquired medication histories, according to a study published online on March 13 in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy.
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Study highlights need to treat female nursing-home patients for vitamin D deficiency
March 23rd 2012The majority of older women in nursing homes are likely to be deficient in vitamin D during winter months, and those with the lowest levels are at a significantly increased risk of death, according to a study published online February 8, in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology.
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AMCP pleased FDA exploring benefits of expanding availability of OTC drugs
March 22nd 2012The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) is pleased that FDA is exploring the public health benefit of approving certain drugs that would otherwise require a prescription for nonprescription use under conditions of safe use, an AMCP official said in written testimony Thursday.
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Study shows CNS drugs take longer than others to develop, receive approval
March 16th 2012The time from investigational new drug application filing to NDA/BLA approval by FDA of drugs for central nervous system disorders and the subsequent regulatory approval can take 35% longer than other therapeutic categories, according to a recent analysis published in the March/April Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development Impact Report.
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Study: Adding prednisone to rheumatoid arthritis treatment improves symptoms
March 16th 2012Patients' rheumatoid arthritis symptoms improved after adding prednisone at the start of a methotrexate-based treatment strategy, according to research published in the March 6 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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