Iowa Senator Charles Grassley recently asked federal officials to investigate physicians that have unusually high prescription rates for mental health drugs for Medicare and Medicaid patients. The request came after the completion of a review of prescription drug rates for the state and federal health programs. Grassley quoted figures from a Florida doctor who wrote […]
October is American Pharmacists Month. The celebration that now lasts for a full month originated in 1924 when Robert J Ruth, a North Carolina pharmacist, broached the idea of promoting the profession during a meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association, now known as the American Pharmacist Association. He suggested a “National Pharmaceutical Week,” and the […]
Johnson & Johnson has issued a recall for 50 count bottles of Tylenol caplets stamped with lot number BCM155. The recall covers 127,728 bottles of eight-hour pain medication. The announcement was made in response to reports that the medication has a moldy, musty odor. The Pennsylvania plant where the caplets were manufactured has been closed […]
A new study out of Hong Kong has determined that 61 of the 81 herbal diet supplements tested contained two or more pharmaceutical agents. Hospital researchers analyzed 81 supplements that had been taken by patients admitted for poisoning. Substances in the herbal remedies included Sibutramine (Merida), which has recently been removed from the market in […]
Based on FDA recommendations, drug maker Abbott has agreed to pull the obesity drug Meridia off the market in the United States. The FDA recommended its removal after reviewing the data from the most recent cardiovascular study indicated increased risk of heart attack or stroke. The study involved nearly 10,000 men and women chosen within […]
The American Pharmacists Association has partnered with Kaiser Foundation Health Plan to offer its employees enrollment in a medication therapy management (MTM) plan as part of its health coverage. APhA has been campaigning to increase the role of pharmacists in the health care process through the use of MTM. The current plan seeks to provide […]
Under federal law, drug makers are required to provide the government with drug pricing that allows calculations of discounts for Medicaid. In a recent inquiry, the government reported that three-fourths of manufacturers were not submitting the pricing, filing it late, or submitting inaccurate information. The result of the failure to comply is that states are […]
Under a deal struck with the White House to aid health reform, drug makers agreed in 2009 to begin offering discounts for seniors who fall into the Medicare “doughnut hole” in 2011. The “doughnut hole” coverage gap requires seniors to pay for medications out of pocket after they reach the $2,830 limit. Once yearly spending […]
