Hidden-camera video prompts two investigations

From CTV News:
Two provincial investigations have been launched into a possible methadone kickback scheme uncovered by CTV News.

The B.C. Health Ministry and the B.C. College of Pharmacists say they will start an investigation into an Abbotsford pharmacy after watching hidden camera video of what appeared to be an offer to pay cash to a drug recovery house in return for methadone referrals.

"Good for CTV to dig this up. I can tell you we'll be all over this," said Health Minister Kevin Falcon.

Depending on the results of the investigation, the pharmacy manager, Gerrylyn Sonier, could lose her pharmacist's licence, and the pharmacy could lose its contract with PharmaCare.

In either case, the pharmacy would not be able to fill prescriptions of any kind, including methadone. ...more

Pharmacist out on bail

From the Victoria Times Colonist:
A Saanich pharmacist has been released on $10,000 bail.

Ali Laal, owner of Pharmaesthetics Inc. at 3960 Quadra St. and the People's Pharmacy in Esquimalt, was arrested last Thursday after police found a loaded handgun at his store.

Laal was originally arrested July 5 and charged with assault, assault causing bodily harm and careless use or storage of a firearm. The assault charges relate to incidents involving his wife and daughter. ...more

Province proposes changes to allow B.C. pharmacists to give injections to patients

From Business in Vancouver:
B.C. pharmacists will soon have the authority to give injections to patients if regulatory changes proposed Tuesday are approved.

The Ministry of Health Services is proposing changes to the Health Professions Act that would allow qualified pharmacists to administer vaccinations and other injections to patients.

Under the proposed regulations, interested pharmacists will be required to complete a comprehensive training program before receiving authorization from the College of Pharmacists of B.C.

The standards of practice and training program are being developed jointly between the BC Pharmacy Association, the College of Pharmacists of B.C. and the BC Centre for Disease Control.

The province is expecting the regulatory changes and training to be completed by mid-fall to allow pharmacists time to prepare for the annual flu vaccination campaign the province is launching this fall. ...more

B.C. residents shell out $25M for Viagra in 2008

From the Calgary Herald:
B.C. residents spend 25 per cent less per capita on medicine than the rest of Canada — except when it comes to prescription drugs for erectile dysfunction.

A new University of B.C. report on prescription drug spending does not explain whether the greater use of drugs such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra is due to a higher proportion of men in B.C.

Experts say it might have to do with cultural factors — the drugs are used "recreationally" in the homosexual community.

"We know they are used in the gay community as performance-enhancing drugs, so that's a theory to explain the higher spending here, but I have no data to back that up," said Alan Cassels, a drug policy researcher at the University of Victoria.

Commenting on the findings in the Canadian Rx Atlas by the UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, Cassels said B.C. doctors "tend to be more conservative when prescribing drugs, but maybe not when it comes to Viagra." ...more

Pharmacist arrested after loaded gun found in store

From the Victoria Times Colonist:
A Saanich pharmacist is being held in custody after police found a loaded handgun at his store Thursday afternoon.

Ali Laal, owner of Pharmaesthetics Inc. at 3960 Quadra St. and the People's Pharmacy in Esquimalt, was originally arrested July 5 and charged with assault, assault causing bodily harm and careless use or storage of a firearm. The assault charges relate to incidents involving his wife and daughter.

Laal was released the next day on $1,000 bail and conditions to stay away from his alleged victims and a home on Excelsior Road in Saanich.

On Thursday, Saanich police executed a search warrant at the Quadra Street pharmacy and arrested Laal again, this time in connection with a 2008 investigation, said Sgt. John Price.

However, after the loaded handgun was discovered, the 50-year-old businessman was charged with possession of a loaded restricted firearm, possession of a firearm without a licence, breach of recognizance by having a firearm and possessing a firearm while prohibited by a court order. ...more

Women's only pharmacy to open in Vancouver

From Canada.com:
The first women's only pharmacy in North America will open its doors Tuesday in Vancouver.

The pharmacy, located in the city's troubled Downtown Eastside, is called Lu's: A Pharmacy for Women, and is aimed at providing female-oriented services to clients.

Caryn Duncan, executive director of the Vancouver Women's Health Collective, came up with the idea of opening a pharmacy for women in 2006.

She lives in the area and often saw queues of patrons spilling out of pharmacies onto sidewalks and having to speak to pharmacists through security glass.

"They're, I think, quite hostile places and women don't feel safe," Duncan said. "Women are walking distances to have prescriptions filled and we're hoping that they will think to come to Lu's." ...more

Battle erupts over B.C. funding for eye treatment

From the Globe and Mail:
British Columbia has become the first province in Canada to pay for a relatively inexpensive drug that can help stop the progression and even reverse the effects of wet macular degeneration.

But not everybody is happy about it. A drug company that sells a similar treatment at a much higher cost said the decision could put the health of patients at risk - the latest chapter in a long-brewing battle over the two treatments.

The issue began to unfold Wednesday, when the B.C. government announced it will provide funding for Lucentis, an expensive breakthrough drug that has proven effective in fighting the progressive eye disease. At the same time, the government said it will become the first province in Canada to fund Avastin as a macular degeneration treatment.

Avastin was originally developed to treat colorectal cancer and isn't approved by Health Canada for use as an eye treatment. But significant anecdotal research indicates the drug has similar effects to Lucentis, and many ophthalmologists in Canada, the United States and Britain have been using it to treat macular degeneration. ...more

MP calls for independent drug agency following daughter's death

From the Vancouver Sun:
Nine years after vowing to find out why his healthy teenage daughter died while taking a popular prescription drug, a rookie MP is launching a campaign to persuade the Harper government to establish an independent drug safety agency in Canada.

Terence Young, Conservative MP for Oakville, Ont., is making his pitch for the agency in a new book that details his battle with "Big Pharma" and the health agencies and professionals that are charged with protecting patients like his daughter Vanessa.

Next week, he will introduce a motion in the House of Commons, where he hopes MPs from all parties will support his push for drug safety reform.

"This is a non-partisan issue. I will be appealing to all my colleagues in Parliament to create an independent drug agency to deal with these issues and make Canadians safer," Young said in an interview. "It's my goal, my dream, to have a consensus in Parliament to move forward on this."

The MP says his book, Death by Prescription: A Father Takes on his Daughter's Killer - The Multi-Billion-Dollar Pharmaceutical Industry, officially released Tuesday, is the culmination of his efforts to "uncover the truth" about why his 15-year-old daughter's heart stopped and she collapsed before his eyes on March 19, 2000. ...more

B.C. leads in use of erectile dysfunction medication

From the Vancouver Sun:
B.C. residents spend 25-per-cent less per capita on medicine than the rest of Canada -- except when it comes to prescription drugs for erectile dysfunction.

We spend the most on those.

A new University of B.C. report on prescription-drug spending does not explain whether the greater use of drugs such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra is due to a higher proportion of men in B.C. with impotence.

Experts interviewed Tuesday said they thought it might have to do with cultural factors. For example, such drugs are used "recreationally" in the homosexual community.

"We know they are used in the gay community as performance-enhancing drugs, so that's a theory to explain the higher spending here, but I have no data to back that up," said Alan Cassels, a drug policy researcher at the University of Victoria.

Commenting on the findings in the Canadian Rx Atlas by the UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, Cassels said B.C. doctors "tend to be more conservative when prescribing drugs, but maybe not when it comes to Viagra." ...more

Pharmacists struggling to deal with prescription drug fraud in B.C.: study

From CBC.ca:
B.C.'s pharmacists are not prepared to detect or deal with prescription drug fraud, according to a new study conducted by the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford.

The study found that even if there's something obviously wrong with a prescription slip, many pharmacists are worried about what would happen if they confronted a patient, according to co-author Dr. Irwin Cohen, the research director of the university's centre for social responsibility.

"It is a very personal individual decision when someone comes with a fraudulent prescription or if someone comes with clear signs of abuse," said Cohen.

"It's certainly not pandemic yet," Cohen added. "But pharmacists are telling us they are ill equipped to deal with the problem. We also can't discount the fact that some people are using fraudulent prescriptions to obtain powerful and dangerous medications to sell for profit." ...more

Health store steroid dealer pleads guilty

From the North Shore (BC) News:
The owner of a North Vancouver health and supplement store charged with selling steroids to kids has pled guilty to one count of drug trafficking.

Joao Melo, 28, appeared in North Vancouver provincial court Thursday to enter the plea. His co-accused, Sylvie Tran, 26, was not present.

Melo and Tran were arrested last October for selling the steroid derivative Methyl-1-Testosterone or M1T at their business, SVN Canada on Lower Lonsdale. The arrests concluded a one-year undercover investigation by the North Vancouver RCMP.

According to federal Crown prosecutor Jay Straith, the maximum penalty for trafficking the drug is a three-year jail sentence.

An anabolic steroid, M1T is listed as a Schedule IV drug under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act. It is not approved for sale anywhere in Canada. Although the drug does help create muscle bulk, over time it can cause extremely serious side effects including liver disorders, hardening of the arteries and lung problems. ...more

Pharmacist retires after 60 years

From the Victoria Times Colonist:
Pharmacist Ed Rowley spent close to six decades working for the best of reasons.

"I like working with my sons. I think that's the whole thing -- I like my job," said the 83-year-old Rowley, who retired last month after a colourful 60-year career behind the counter.

During the years that Rowley worked with sons Craig, Grant and Bruce, "I don't think we ever had a disagreement."

Quips fly fast and furious among the four Rowleys, who are well-known in Fairfield, where the Gonzales Pharmacy has dispensed prescriptions since 1952.

Soft-spoken, with a wicked sense of humour, Ed Rowley has a prodigious memory. After graduating from the University of B.C. in 1949, he worked as a pharmacist until Sept. 23, almost 60 years in the same career, one he says has brought him many friends and much satisfaction. ...more

B.C. genetics researchers work to predict drug reactions in children

From CBC News:
A new research project in British Columbia aims to develop a tool to allow drug doses for children to be tailored to their individual genetic makeup in order to help prevent potentially life-threatening drug reactions.

According to Health Canada, more than half of newly approved therapeutic health products prompt serious reactions that are discovered only after the product reaches the market. Three-quarters of medications have never been tested in children.

Dana Tent recalled how her son's hearing was damaged after he reacted to the cancer medication cisplatin. ...more

B.C. plan requiring people to switch to cheaper drugs costs more, study says

From the Canadian Press:
British Columbia's drug coverage plan has cost the province more money than it was supposed to save while worsening patients' health because of a policy that forces them to take cheaper medication for conditions such as acid reflux, says a new study.

Dr. James Gray, a gastroenterologist who co-authored the study, said Thursday the plan that came into effect in 2003 is a failed experiment that put unrealized cost savings ahead of patients' quality of life.

But Health Minister George Abbott disputed the study, saying its methodology is flawed and that other research suggests the government's policy is a success.

Gray said patients who were taking one of four drugs were forced to switch to a fifth medication that was cheaper, even if they were responding well to the original drug, in an effort to save $42 million to the health-care system.

The province's PharmaCare plan would otherwise not have paid for the drugs, he said.

However, patients whose symptoms were not controlled by the substitute drug experienced problems ranging from heartburn, abdominal pain and gastrointestinal bleeding that led to increased doctors' visits and in some cases hospitalization for a cost of $43.5 million, Gray said. ...more

Pharmacists now allowed to renew prescriptions

From Surrey (BC) Now:
Patients who run out of routine medications can now ask their pharmacist to renew their prescriptions without always having to get a new prescription from their doctor.

The change came into effect on January 1.

Health Minister George Abbott said the ministry wants to make it easier for people with chronic illnesses to manage their conditions.

"This change is inspired by what British Columbians told us during the Conversation on Health - that people wanted improved access to health services and greater choice about where they receive those services."

Under the Health Professions (Regulatory Reform) Amendment Act, pharmacists are now permitted to renew most routine prescription medications for up to six months without the patient requiring a new doctor's prescription. Patients with long-term but stable conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, who have been on the same medication for at least six months and are running out of their drugs, qualify to have their pharmacist renew their prescription. ...more

Pharmacists take on expanded role starting January

From Arrow Lakes (BC) News:
As part of a new agreement between the government of B.C. and the B.C. Pharmacy Association, pharmacists will be taking on a bigger role when it comes to prescription medications.

As of Jan. 1, B.C. pharmacists will have the legal authority to renew or adapt existing prescriptions to better suit the patient.

Pharmacist Troy Clark of People’s Pharmacy in Nakusp says it’s a step up for the role of pharmacists.

“[It is] increasing our scope of practice,” says Clark. “It’s something that we’re capable of doing.”

A pamphlet available at People’s Pharmacy states benefits of the change include allowing your pharmacist to help manage medications for patients between visits to the doctor.

“This medication management thing that’s coming now, the new policy that’s come out, it’s just giving us the authority,” says Clark. “Now we have the legal authority to do some of those things that we were maybe doing already.” ...more

On-site pharmacy must monitor care home's drugs, owner says

From the Globe and Mail:
Sunridge Place residents whose medication costs have shot up since they were forced to move out of Duncan's Cowichan Lodge care home can complain all they want. But whether it's vitamins, minerals, herbal remedies or prescription medications, there's no way around purchasing the pills they need from the private-care home's on-site pharmacy.

According to Bob Mehr, owner of Pacific Compounding Pharmacy, the company under contract to Sunridge Place, said the B.C. College of Pharmacists requires that the same designated provider supply all medications for long-term care residents.

"When you have a contract with a particular nursing home, you are responsible for all the medications provided at that particular nursing home, including vitamins and over-the-counter medications," said Mr. Mehr, who owns nine pharmacies on Vancouver Island, including three that are located in P3 long-term care homes.

"Where you are in a care facility, everything the patient gets has to be prescribed by a physician and the pharmacy is obligated to supply that. If we don't we are interfering with the doctor's care." ...more

Vancouver pharmacy closed over methadone kickback claims

From the National Post:
A Downtown Eastside pharmacy has been told to close its doors amid allegations it provided cash kickbacks to addicts filling methadone prescriptions.

The AYC Pharmacy on East Hastings has had its licence suspended and was ordered to close indefinitely after an investigation by the College of Pharmacists, according to CBC News. The pharmacy must close by Dec. 1, but will operate on shortened hours until then so customers can find another place to fill prescriptions.

The college said the closure was a result of "medicine-management" issues involving patient safety, according to CBC.

The pharmacy is also being investigated by the Ministry of Health over allegations that it provided drug addicts with cash inducements to fill methadone prescriptions. Methadone is sometimes prescribed to drug users as an alternative to heroin.

B.C. pharmacies are paid $8.60 each time they dispense a drug. If pharmacies dispense methadone and supervise the patient as they take it, they receive an additional $7.70. ...more

Pharmacist retires after 60 years

From the Victoria (BC) Times Colonist:
Pharmacist Ed Rowley spent close to six decades working for the best of reasons.

"I like working with my sons. I think that's the whole thing -- I like my job," said the 83-year-old Rowley, who retired last month after a colourful 60-year career behind the counter.

During the years that Rowley worked with sons Craig, Grant and Bruce, "I don't think we ever had a disagreement."

Quips fly fast and furious among the four Rowleys, who are well-known in Fairfield, where the Gonzales Pharmacy has dispensed prescriptions since 1952.

Soft-spoken, with a wicked sense of humour, Ed Rowley has a prodigious memory. After graduating from the University of B.C. in 1949, he worked as a pharmacist until Sept. 23, almost 60 years in the same career, one he says has brought him many friends and much satisfaction. ...more

BCMA sounds alarm on pharmacists' new powers

From the Vancouver Sun:
A new provincial policy that will give pharmacists the power to renew and adapt prescriptions without prior approval from a doctor could be dangerous for patients, according to the B.C. Medical Association.

Starting Jan. 1 next year, pharmacists across B.C. can exercise a new authority to renew customers' prescriptions and make limited changes to them based on their own judgment, and without consulting the patients' doctors.

The policy was initiated by the Health Ministry last spring, and announced in the throne speech.

It came up again Thursday after a B.C. Pharmacists Association document detailing discussions over fees for the services was leaked to media.

B.C. Pharmacy Association chief executive Marnie Mitchell said pharmacists will be given the authority to renew prescriptions for up to one year and to change a prescribed dosage if they judge it's appropriate. ...more