Sask. health workers prepared to walk off job

From CTV News:
Health professionals in Saskatchewan are staying on the job for now, but their union warns that a walkout will be inevitable Tuesday unless a deal is reached.

Union officials met today in Saskatoon to decide what action to take after contract talks broke down. Chris Driol of the Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan says the 2,700 members will work through the holiday weekend in case there are any emergencies. ...more

9 pharmacists in N.S. earn national praise

From the Halifax Chronicle Herald:
Nine Nova Scotia pharmacists have been recognized for their contributions to the profession in Canada in the past century.

They are among 100 Canadians singled out by the Canadian Pharmacists Association in its 100th year. ...more

Union for Sask health workers says job action coming after talks break down

From Canoe.ca:
Talks to avert a strike by health-care professionals in Saskatchewan broke off Thursday, but the rhetoric was heating up as union officials said they have no choice but to start job action.

The negotiations after a conciliator said the health organizations and the Health Sciences Association were too far apart to reach a deal. "At this time it seems that there's no further point in the two parties meeting," said association president Chris Driol.

"We really have no choice at this point but to engage in job action because our best efforts at the negotiating table haven't got us where we need to go."

One of the biggest sticking points was over money aimed at enticing experienced workers to stay in the province and not flee to other jurisdictions for more cash.

The union is looking for eight per cent over two years and it wants an additional four per cent retention money for senior staff.

The Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations has offered 12 per cent over three years, with an additional half per cent retention adjustment for all workers in the first year. ...more

Patients survive drug mistake

From the Waterloo (Ont.) Record:
Six people who were sent to hospital this week after a Waterloo pharmacist over-prescribed their methadone treatment were lucky to have survived, say experts who specialize in the drug.

Overdosing on methadone -- a narcotic drug used to treat opiate addicts and severe pain sufferers -- can be fatal. In this case, the six who started showing signs of overdose Monday after taking their prescription from University Pharmacy on King Street in Waterloo were treated at hospital and released. Although the store's pharmacist declined to comment yesterday, police say the patients were immediately contacted and advised to go to hospital once the pharmacist realized the error.

Detectives decided charges will not be laid in the case, said police representative Olaf Heinzel.

The six suffered minor physical complaints, mostly discomfort, police said, before receiving treatment to counteract the overdose.

Dr. Nathan Frank, director of the Kitchener methadone clinic, which treats some 400 patients, said there is not much room for error when dealing with methadone, and the dangers are more pronounced with people whose bodies have not yet developed a tolerance for it. ...more

Doctors' poor penmanship can have deadly results

From the Globe and Mail:
The abysmal handwriting of physicians is the stuff of legend among nurses and pharmacists. But the result - frequent medication errors due to drug names and dosages misread from doctors' chicken scratch - is deadly serious.

New research has driven home just how harmful badly written prescriptions and other transcription errors can be.

The study, published in the journal Health Services Research, shows that having doctors write electronic prescriptions - by typing them into a computer rather than writing them by hand - reduces medication errors by a staggering 66 per cent.

"These medication errors are very painful for doctors, as well as the patients. Nobody wants to make a mistake," said Tatyana Shamliyan, a research associate at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and the lead author of the paper.

While poor handwriting is a major issue, it is not the only one, she said. Medication errors can occur because of transcription problems, poor communication, incomplete medical records and drug reactions.What is clear, though, is that a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system dramatically reduces mistakes. ...more

Mom's Antidepressant Use Poses Little Danger to Baby

From Forbes:
Pregnant women who use antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are not increasing the risk of most birth defects for their newborns, new research suggests.

Drugs within this class -- which include Celexa, Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft -- may increase the risk for certain defects, but, even then, the absolute risk is extremely small, concluded two studies published in the June 28 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

"It's a fairly reassuring message for women who need antidepressants and are pregnant or who plan on becoming pregnant," said Carol Louik, lead author of the first paper and an assistant professor of epidemiology at Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center. "We saw no large risks, and the fewer elevated risks that we did see would only lead to very small absolute risks." ...more

Sensipar® no longer indicated for chronic kidney disease patients (stages 3 and 4) not receiving dialysis

From Health Canada:
The following updated information has been provided recently to healthcare professionals to review with their patients when prescribing Sensipar®.

Sensipar® has been authorized in Canada since 2004 for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Recently, a study was conducted with the intent of providing further evidence of the efficacy and safety of cinacalcet in patients with secondary HPT and CKD who are not receiving dialysis. The results of this study showed that while cinacalcet effectively lowered PTH, the incidence of serum calcium levels below the lower limit of the normal range (8.4 mg/dL [2.1 mmol/L]) with cinacalcet treatment was higher than that observed in patients with secondary HPT and CKD receiving dialysis. As such, Amgen considers that this study has not provided evidence of a positive risk to benefit profile of use of cinacalcet in patients with secondary HPT and CKD who are not receiving dialysis.
For the public
For health professionals

Voluntary Recall of One Lot of Fluotic® (sodium fluoride) 20 mg tablets and Notice of Product Discontinuation

From Health Canada:
This letter is to inform you that sanofi-aventis Canada Inc., with agreement from Health Canada, has undertaken a voluntary recall of one lot of Fluotic® (sodium fluoride) 20 mg tablets, bottle of 100: lot number 8034613 (expiry date: September 2008). This voluntary recall is intended to address a quality issue. In in-vitro tests, the disintegration time of some tested samples in gastric fluid-like solution was faster than usual. Although the product is not likely to cause any adverse health consequences to the patient, there is potential risk that an early disintegration of sodium fluoride in the gastric environment may increase the risk of gastric toxicity such as gastric irritation, risk of bleeding or gastric ulcer. ...more

Echinacea halves risk of catching cold: review

From CBC News:
Echinacea, a herb widely used to fight the sniffles, helps reduce the risk of getting the common cold and shortens its duration, a new review suggests.

In the July issue of the medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, researchers analyzed the results of 14 published trials on echinacea, or purple coneflower. The beneficial effect was seen after combining results from 1,600 participants.

Echinacea refers to flowers, roots and stems of nine related plants that are native to North America. Extracts are thought to boost the body's immune system.

Taking the supplements seemed to reduce the risk of developing a cold by 58 per cent and shortened duration of a cold by an average of 1.4 days, the team reported. ...more

Doctors, retailers square off

The building conflict between physicians and pharmacy/retail medical offices in the United States seemed somewhat inevitable. I notice some definite parallels between this debate the pharmacist prescribing debate in Alberta. Physician claims of conflict of interest and safety to the public are countered by suggestions that docs are just trying to protect their exclusive domain.

From the Chicago Tribune:
In an attempt to ratchet up scrutiny on the proliferation of in-store clinics being opened by retail giants, the American Medical Association said Monday that it will ask state and federal agencies to launch widespread investigations into the fast-growing patient-care model.

The AMA's policymaking House of Delegates, meeting in Chicago, said lack of regulation at retail clinics might be fostering liability concerns, health risks and potential conflicts of interest between the clinics' nurse practitioners who order prescriptions and the pharmacies that fill them. Often, the clinic is near the pharmacy counter in those retail stores.

The AMA, the nation's largest doctor group, is reacting to moves by retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Deerfield-based Walgreen Co. that will effectively bring several thousand retail clinics to U.S. consumers in the coming years. One retail clinic operator run by giant CVS/Caremark Corp. was concerned enough about the AMA's clout on the issue that it deployed an executive here to defend its interests.

AMA action on such topics means the group and its affiliated state societies will push for increased regulation and attempt to slow the growth of the clinics. One clinic operator said Monday the AMA's move would do just that and have an adverse effect by slowing a new concept that increases patient access to medical care and offers patients a convenient option.

"Our primary focus is patient safety and patient care, and the retail clinics have a different mission of selling products and prescriptions," said Dr. Rodney Osborn, a Peoria anesthesiologist who is president of the Illinois State Medical Society, an AMA delegation among the most outspoken on scrutiny of retail clinics. "We want these clinics to be accountable." ...more

Experts warn against overdoing it on cancer-fighting vitamin D

From the Halifax Daily News:
After the recent flurry of excitement about the cancer-fighting benefits of vitamin D, the Nova Scotia division of the Canadian Cancer Society wants to warn people not to overdo it.

"Sometimes when people hear this really great news, they think that if a little is good, then more should be better, and that is not the case," said Meg McCallum, director of programs for the Canadian Cancer Society in Nova Scotia.

The Canadian Cancer Society announced at the beginning of June that adults who take 1,000 international units of vitamin D a day could cut their chances of breast, colorectal and prostate cancer by up to 60 per cent.

This recommendation should be followed in the fall and winter months, when natural light in the northern hemisphere is low and the body's ability to produce the vitamin decreases. ...more

New treatment promising for Parkinson's disease

From CTV News:
In what could be a breakthrough in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, an experimental treatment using gene therapy has delivered promising results, improving the symptoms of 12 patients.

The study was the first-ever on the use of gene therapy to battle Parkinson's disease, a disease marked by tremors, rigidity in their limbs, and slowness of movement.

In the small study of 11 men and one woman, surgeons from New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center injected a harmless gene-bearing virus into the brains of the patients. Over the course of one year, they found that the treatment improved motor function for Parkinson's patients without side effects. ...more

N.S. unveils cancer plan

From the Calgary Sun:
Nova Scotia became the first province yesterday to unveil plans for a publicly funded vaccine to protect young girls from the human papilloma virus -- the leading cause of cervical cancer.

The announcement came as obstetricians and gynecologists from across Canada warned more young women will die from the disease unless others act quickly.

The federal budget included $300 million for such programs.

Beginning this fall, some 6,000 Nova Scotian girls in Grade 7 will be given the option of receiving three doses of Gardasil. ...more

Jury orders $2M award

Here's a disturbing article of gender discrimination and corporate bullying in the pharmacy workplace. It's not a Canadian story, but it's definitely relevant to pharmacy.

From the Berkshire (Mass.) Eagle:
A Berkshire Superior Court jury yesterday concluded that Wal-Mart had discriminated against a female pharmacist, paying her less than her male colleagues and firing her when she complained.

The jury awarded Cynthia Haddad almost $2 million as compensation for lost and future wages and to punish Wal-Mart's behavior. The verdict followed roughly eight hours of deliberations that capped a two-week trial.

"It sends a message that you can't treat people poorly because of who they are," said David Belfort, one of Haddad's attorneys. "The verdict makes it clear that the jury felt that not only was there misconduct, but it ought to be punished." ...more

Vitamin D a hot-ticket item; Pharmacy shelves picked clean since U.S. cancer study released

From the Sault (Ont.) Star:
Psst, need some vitamin D?

Consumers craving the so-called "sunshine drug" may have to find some clandestine sources after shelves across Sault Ste. Marie have been laid bare in the week since a United States study linked vitamin D to reduced risk for colorectal, breast and prostate cancer.

"We were done two days ago. We tried ordering more, but our wholesaler in Toronto has it on back order as well," said Manuel Dos Reis, pharmacist and proprietor of The Medicine Shoppe on Great Northern Road earlier this week.

Shoppers Drug Mart on Second Line West had also gone through its stock by Saturday, a day after results from the four-year study were publicized.

Researchers at Creighton University in Nebraska said of 1,024 women over 55 who completed the trial, those randomly assigned to take calcium and vitamin D and who had higher levels of both in their blood were 77 per cent less likely to develop cancer after the first year compared to those taking placebos or calcium alone. ...more

Vitamin D hoopla has researchers debating what's next

From the Vancouver Sun:
The Jean Coutu pharmacy in Montreal is a long way from the bucolic cornfields of Nebraska. A simple little pill is what they have in common.

The drugstore's vitamin D supply ran dry after the release of a small but groundbreaking study last week involving 1,179 white, older Nebraskan women. It found the vitamin can dramatically cut the risk of cancer.

The run on vitamin D reported in Canadian pharmacies - after the Canadian Cancer Society, reacting to the study, recommended all adults consider taking the supplement - is just the first ramification of a report that may profoundly affect efforts to prevent cancer.

In the wake of the Nebraska study, researchers are scrambling to organize an international meeting later this year to make a plan on how to best exploit recent vitamin D discoveries. ...more

Closure of clinic hard on patients with no doctor; 'It shouldn't be this way,' says local pharmacist

From the Brantford (Ont.) Expositor:
The announced closure of the Terrace Hill Walk-In Clinic on July 1 will only worsen an already serious problem of patients having trouble getting repeat refills on their medication, says a city pharmacist.

Anwar Dost, who runs Cenpro Pharmacy on Brant Avenue and University Pharmacy on Colborne Street, said Friday the closure will exacerbate a problem he's been bringing to the attention of area politicians for some time.

Dost explained that since pharmacists are not legally authorized to give repeats on medication that has run out, he and others have had to direct so-called "orphaned" patients without regular family doctors to the city's two walk-in clinics at Terrace Hill and Fairview Drive to get authorization. ...more

HPV vaccine 'hysteria' hits Canada

From the Windsor (Ont.) Star:
Gardasil, the vaccine against cervical cancer recommended for girls and women aged nine to 26 years, is flying off drug store shelves across Canada.

Designed to protect women from cancer caused by the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, it was approved one year ago by Health Canada but must be prescribed by a doctor or nurse practitioner.

Merck Frosst, the sole manufacturer of Gardasil, has distributed more than 90,000 doses in Canada through the end of April, and close to half of them were in Ontario, said spokeswoman Sheila Murphy.

Shoppers Drug Mart, Canada's leading drugstore chain, has noticed a four-fold increase in prescriptions across Canada since last December, said spokeswoman Pat Chapman. Although some are concerned that giving girls the vaccine may lead them to believe they can safely have sex, medical officials say the benefits far outweigh such concerns. ...more

Quebec lifts freeze on prescription drug prices

From the Montreal Gazette:
The Quebec government is lifting its 13-year freeze on prescription drugs reimbursed through provincial drug plans.

Health Minister Philippe Couillard, who first announced the hikes in January, made it official Monday, saying the freeze was "unsustainable."

"You isolate yourself from the global economy and you end up paying the price," Couillard told reporters.

The increases go into effect on Friday for about 364 products, mostly generic drugs. The cost of about 754 products increased on April 18.

The overall criteria is that drug prices remain the lowest in the county, Couillard said.

A total of 3.2 million Quebecers are covered by the province's public drug plan, the rest by private plans. ...more

Young Canadian children are being prescribed anti-psychotic drugs

From the National Post:
Antipsychotics are being widely prescribed to children with behaviour and mood problems, with a significant proportion going to children under nine, new research shows.

Ninety-four per cent of 176 child psychiatrists in Canada surveyed are prescribing powerful drugs known as atypical antipsychotics for a variety of disorders and symptoms, including anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and "poor frustration tolerance."

While most prescriptions were for children 13 and older, a "surprising" number were for the very young: 12% of all prescriptions were for children aged eight or under, including three-year-olds. ...more

Cobourg resident named a Centennial Pharmacist

From Northumberland (Ont.) Today:
For its 100th anniversary this year, the Canadian Pharmacists Association invited nominations from its 7,000 members for nominations for 100 past or present members to be designated Centennial Pharmacists.

Cobourg resident Bill Wensley has been so declared. And the work he has done has helped shape many of the pharmacy and health-care services we enjoy today.

While on the Ontario Council of Health in the late-1960s, for instance, his was one of the voices recommending district health councils.

He was also involved in product-selection legislation in the early-1970s that allows a pharmacist to substitute a less-costly generic drug when a brand-name one is prescribed. As a result, he also worked on the Drug Quality and Therapeutics Committee that researched exactly what generic drugs could be prescribed in substitute for which name-brand drugs and under what circumstances, helping to compile the formulary on which pharmacists rely in making these decisions. ...more

Possible counterfeit toothpaste find sparks caution call from Health Canada

From the Canadian Press:
Consumers should be verifying the authenticity of their food and drug products in the wake of a U.S. health recall involving tainted toothpaste that may have made its way to Ontario, Health Canada warned Tuesday.

The federal department is investigating after a tube of suspicious toothpaste was discovered at a southwestern Ontario dollar store Friday.

Spokesman Paul Duchesne said Health Canada is looking into whether the product in question could be linked to a recall south of the border involving counterfeit Colgate toothpaste found to contain an ingredient used in antifreeze.

In the meantime, Duchesne said consumers should look for the eight-digit identification, or DIN, number found on drugs as well as NPN numbers for natural products and DIN-HM numbers for homeopathic products. ...more

Pharmacists to appeal court ruling allowing cold remedies back in grocery stores

From CanadaEast:
The Ontario College of Pharmacists will appeal a court ruling that allows grocery stores to restock their shelves with cold remedies containing a key ingredient used to make crystal meth.

Independent grocery retailers across the province hailed the Ontario Superior Court decision last week that lets them once again sell Contac C, Claritin, Benadryl and other medications that contain ephedrine and pseudoephedrine.

The college says it has reviewed the decision and has decided to appeal.

College spokeswoman Sue Rawlinson says their notice of motion was being prepared and would likely be filed Tuesday. ...more

Prescription for growth in an evolving market

From the Hamilton Spectator:
In the grand scheme of things, Marchese Health Care and its staff of 80 is relatively small. The trick to survival in this business though, is thinking like a big multinational.

That philosophy is the driving force behind the James Street North company's recent expansion to build a cutting-edge sterile compounding facility, the first of its kind in southern Ontario and only the third like it in Canada.

The facility, built by Burlington-based Viro-Mart, is used to assemble custom prescriptions, intravenous medications or nutrition.

Fred Bruns, director of operations, pharmacy and client services at Marchese, said many pharmacies in the United States have already built similar facilities.

"It was driven by our desire to be at the cutting edge of what we do," he said. "In the U.S., these standards are not even mandatory, they're guidelines. Inevitably those standards will come to Canada." ...more

BioVenture winner lands cash

From the Saskatoon Star Phoenix:
Steve Mamchur knows he has a great idea. But instead of developing it in one of Canada's big cities, he's determined to make his business plan come to life to build the bio-economy in Saskatchewan.

The pharmacist and current law student at the University of Saskatchewan has created a technique that uses hormone concentrates from natural plant sources in bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, a natural alternative to pharmaceutical-based hormone replacement.

Mamchur has also developed a less expensive and safer way of mixing the hormone concentrate with a topical cream in pharmacies, an invention that will allow the number of Canadian pharmacies able to mix these creams to grow from 400 to 7,500. He wants to base his company in his home province. ...more

Sanofi-aventis gets okay to market colorectal cancer drug

From the Globe and Mail:
A drug company has been given the green light by Health Canada to market the long-established colorectal cancer drug oxaliplatin.

Now that Sanofi-aventis Canada Inc. has received its notice of compliance, it alone holds the license to market the drug known by the trade name Eloxatin. The move means three other companies that sold versions of oxaliplatin at deep discount prices under Health Canada's special access program, will have to stop.

“Within the next 4 to 6 weeks we should be able to put [Eloxatin] in the market,” Joëlle Sissmann, vice-president of corporate affairs for Sanofi-aventis Canada Inc., said in a telephone interview from Montreal Monday.

“We got a call this morning that Sanofi had its notice of compliance and we were no longer allowed to sell our product,” Jennifer Wardrop, managing director of Sigmacon Lifesciences Inc., said in a telephone interview Monday. ...more

Labopharm's once-daily painkiller tramadol approved for sale in Canada

From CBC News:
Drug developer Labopharm Inc. (TSX:DDS) received some welcome relief of its own after Health Canada approved the sale of its once-daily painkiller tramadol despite ongoing concerns of U.S. regulators.

The health agency's therapeutic products directorate approved 100-milligram, 200-mg and 300-mg tablets of its formulation of tramadol for the management of moderate pain in adults who require treatment for several days or more, the Laval, Que.-based company said Monday.

"We're excited," Labopharm CEO James Howard-Tripp said in an interview.

"It's very positive for us. Canada is a smaller market than the U.S., but it's still a very important market. It's one of the G8, it's a very serious regulatory body, so it's nice to get approval from that perspective." ...more

Allocation of antivirals for flu pandemic workers stirs debate

From CBC News:
Public health officials across Canada are grappling with the medical and ethical issues of giving front-line health-care workers preventive antiviral drugs if a flu pandemic strikes.

The federal and provincial governments have stockpiled more than 500 million doses of antiviral drugs to prepare for a pandemic.

Under the current federal plan, the drugs may only be used to treat people once they are ill, a reversal of an original decision two years ago to stockpile antivirals as a preventive treatment or prophylaxis for front-line health-care workers as well. ...more

Public officials quick to seek private remedies: CMA president

From the Vancouver Sun:
Canada's top doctor singled out New Democrat leader Jack Layton Sunday for "hypocrisy" for undergoing hernia treatment at a private Toronto medical clinic.
But Dr. Brian Day, president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association, was quick to note Layton is in good company.

Former Prime Ministers Paul Martin, Jean Chretien and Joe Clark have also been treated at private medical clinics, Day told the annual meeting of the Canadian Science Writers' Association.

And he says union leader Buzz Hargrove, president of the Canadian Autoworkers, proved a master at "cue jumping" when he got in for an MRI within 24 hours of injuring his leg.

"Even I couldn't do that," said Day, the outspoken and media savvy orthopedic surgeon who takes over in August as president of the CMA, which represents 62,000 physicians across Canada. ...more

Cold remedies back on shelves

From the Owen Sound (Ont.) Sun Times::
People have Chesley grocer Peter Knipfel to thank, or to blame, for prompting a judge’s ruling permitting grocery and convenience stores to resume selling certain cold, allergy and sinus medicines that are also used to make crystal methamphetamine.

Since pseudoephedrine is an essential ingredient in the production the highly addictive street drug, sale of products containing it was restricted to pharmacies a year ago after the College of Pharmacists voiced concerns.

Knipfel said the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers took up his cause. His store, the Chesley Grocery Store, brought forward the request for a judge’s ruling.

A Superior Court justice ruled Thursday that pseudoephedrine, a common decongestant, is not a drug as defined under the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act and so the College of Pharmacists’ notice restricting sales could be ignored. ...more

Obama touts Rx drug plan

I can't see importing pharmaceuticals from Canada being much of an issue in American 2008 election, but Barack Obama mentioned he's in favour of allowing the purchase of Canadian prescriptions.

From the Sauk Valley (Ill.) Newspaper:
Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama speculated Saturday that his prescription drug plan could save seniors on Medicare $157 billion over the next decade.

The potential saving is proof that the nation needs to change the Medicare system, he said.

"There is no reason for this other than the fact it makes the drug companies more money," said Obama. 'It's wrong that Americans have to spend more for their prescriptions because drug companies can spend billions on lobbying."

The prescription drug plan pushed by Obama would allow Medicare officials to bargain for lower prescription drug prices, allow Americans to buy prescriptions from Canada and other developed countries where safe drugs are available and increase the use of generic drugs in public health programs like Medicare. ...more

Over-the-counter diet pill goes on sale in U.S.

I remember when Xenical, the prescription version of orlistat, was introduced in Canada. It was heavily hyped, but because of price, lack of noticeable benefits and bad side effects it mostly faded out of view. I suspect the OTC version will face the same fate. A few people will benefit from this treatment and lose some weight. However, the majority of patients will try it, and then realize that you really do have to cut your fat intake or else you get nasty bowel-related side effects. As soon as they realize it's not a magic pill or when they soil their pants, they'll stop using it. I doubt we'll see it in Canada anytime soon.

From CTV News:
Canadian health officials watched closely on Friday as Alli, the first over-the-counter diet pill approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, went on sale south of the border.

The drug, which reduces the amount of fat absorbed by the body after a meal by roughly 25 per cent, is available in Canada under a different name, but still requires a prescription.

"It's been around for quite a long time," Yoni Freedhoff of the Bariatric Medical Institute, an Ottawa-based weight loss centre, told CTV News.

"Studies show that people taking it for two years lose up to eight kilograms. But the way it works, of course, is by either delaying or blocking the absorption of fat in the gut. And the way it blocks it is, well, it comes out -- 'fast' is a good objective to use." ...more

Drug maker overstated sales by $5.6M

From the Toronto Star:
CV Technologies Inc. (TSX: CVQ), maker of the Cold-fx treatment for colds and the flu, said it overstated sales by $5.6 million in 2006 as it entered the U.S. market for the first time.

As a result, the company said its earned $3.5 million less than originally reported for that fiscal year.

The Edmonton-based company revealed the new figures late Thursday in an anticipated restatement of its earnings.

CV Technologies said it underestimated the amount of product returns after introducing Cold-fx to the U.S. in the fourth quarter of 2006 and "correspondingly overestimating revenue from product sales." ...more

Better Labels Urged for Sports Creams

I missed this story last week but I had to post it now as I find it a fascinating case. This is an article that every pharmacy should save and pull out when a patient comments that a topical cream can't possibly be harmful.

From the Washington Post:
Arielle Newman was a high school track star who suffered from the typical aches and pains that result from a grueling training regimen. For relief, she covered her legs with large amounts of muscle cream.

The 17-year-old died from an accidental overdose of methyl salicylate, the wintergreen-scented ingredient found in liniments like BenGay, Icy Hot and Tiger Balm, the New York City medical examiner's office said last week. The death was the first of its kind in the city, authorities said.

Experts said the death of Newman, a cross-country runner for Notre Dame Academy on Staten Island, points to a need for clearer warnings about risks, especially because muscle creams have become a staple in locker rooms around the country. ...more

Health Canada: Keep medical pot consumption low

From CTV News:
Health Canada has been contacting doctors who prescribe medical marijuana for their government-approved patients, advising them to keep the dosages low.

Some users say that not only violates doctor-patient confidentiality, it's also wrong for bureaucrats to make judgments about the medical needs of people they've never seen.

"A person's medication should be between him and his doctor,'' said Tony Adams, 60, a medical marijuana user in Victoria.

"There shouldn't be some bureaucrat in Ottawa that's never met me. Everybody has different needs for medications.''

Adams, a licenced user who's been smoking seven grams of marijuana daily, recently applied to Health Canada to increase the dose to 10 grams, with his doctor's authorization. Official approval from Ottawa is needed so that Adam can legally grow the appropriate number of marijuana plants, set by Health Canada at five plants for each daily gram.

But a program official in Ottawa challenged Adams' doctor in a telephone call, saying most patients need no more than five grams. Adams, who has severe arthritis and degenerative disc disease, later received a new licence for just five grams a day. ...more

Ban on grocers selling pseudoephedrine overturned

This case could be a precedent that might affect which retailers can carry over the counter drugs. I would not want to see Canada end up like the United States when it comes to OTC products. In the States, it's essentially an all or nothing proposition: it's either prescription only or it can be sold anywhere.

From CTV News:
Ontario residents will once again be able to get cold and allergy medicine containing pseudoephedrine from local grocery and corner stores.

A controversial decision to make products containing the compound available only through a pharmacy was overturned by the Ontario Superior Court on Thursday.

The original decision was made last year to address concerns raised by the Ontario College of Pharmacists that medications containing pseudoephedrine were being used to make crystal meth. ...more