From the Canadian Press:
Ontario will become the first province in Canada to fund insulin pumps for children with diabetes as part of a $1.9-billion increase in health-care spending included in Thursday's provincial budget.
The pledge will provide some 6,500 children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes with the best possible chance to lead a normal lifestyle, said Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, who called it the one item in the budget of which he's proudest. ...more
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Dangerous drugs stolen from pharmacy
From the Brandon Sun:
Police fear a big dose of of dangerous drugs — including potentially deadly ‘hillbilly heroin’ — is on city streets following a brazen break-in at a Brandon pharmacy.
With surgical precision, thieves cut into a lock and defeated the Clinic Pharmacy’s alarm system during an overnight raid discovered Tuesday morning. ...more
Police fear a big dose of of dangerous drugs — including potentially deadly ‘hillbilly heroin’ — is on city streets following a brazen break-in at a Brandon pharmacy.
With surgical precision, thieves cut into a lock and defeated the Clinic Pharmacy’s alarm system during an overnight raid discovered Tuesday morning. ...more
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
School of Pharmacy starting to take shape
The University of Waterloo's new School of Pharmacy officially had its groundbreaking today. The new school will accept 120 students in the fall of 2007. ...more
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Newer antidepressants linked to serious lung disorder in newborns
From Health Canada:
Health Canada is advising women who are taking antidepressants known as Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRI) and who are pregnant or intend to become pregnant to discuss the situation with their doctor due to potential risks to the baby. ...more
Health Canada is advising women who are taking antidepressants known as Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRI) and who are pregnant or intend to become pregnant to discuss the situation with their doctor due to potential risks to the baby. ...more
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Drug residue tainting water, report warns
From the Globe and Mail:
Residues from drugs and cosmetics are widespread contaminants in Canadian waterways, and should be subject to increased oversight by regulators because they represent a possible health hazard, says a report that is being released today.
The report, by the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy, said tests of the past decade in the United States and Europe have found water to be laced with residues from cosmetics and 100 drugs, and while studies in Canada have not been as extensive, the situation is unlikely to be much different because of the high use of these products. ...more
Residues from drugs and cosmetics are widespread contaminants in Canadian waterways, and should be subject to increased oversight by regulators because they represent a possible health hazard, says a report that is being released today.
The report, by the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy, said tests of the past decade in the United States and Europe have found water to be laced with residues from cosmetics and 100 drugs, and while studies in Canada have not been as extensive, the situation is unlikely to be much different because of the high use of these products. ...more
Some patients will probably die if MS drug allowed: FDA official
From the Brandon Sun:
Dozens of multiple sclerosis patients asked federal health advisers Tuesday to let them decide whether to take Tysabri, a promising drug that was pulled from the market after it was linked to a rare, often-fatal brain infection.
‘‘I am at the end of my road, in terms of what I can take. I want it to be my choice,’’ said Barbara Crooks, 48, who travelled with her husband, David, from the Pittsburgh area to testify before a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee. ...more
Dozens of multiple sclerosis patients asked federal health advisers Tuesday to let them decide whether to take Tysabri, a promising drug that was pulled from the market after it was linked to a rare, often-fatal brain infection.
‘‘I am at the end of my road, in terms of what I can take. I want it to be my choice,’’ said Barbara Crooks, 48, who travelled with her husband, David, from the Pittsburgh area to testify before a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee. ...more
Thursday, March 02, 2006
State renews Canada drug pact
From the Badger Herald (Wisconsin):
As part of Wisconsin’s prescription drug program with Canada, Gov. Jim Doyle extended medication importation agreements with three Canadian pharmacies last Friday.
“Hopefully, drug prices will fall, but until then, the renewal of the agreement provides seniors with another option to obtain low-cost prescription drugs,” said Gail Sumi, director of the National Association of Retired Persons Associate State Advocacy. ...more
As part of Wisconsin’s prescription drug program with Canada, Gov. Jim Doyle extended medication importation agreements with three Canadian pharmacies last Friday.
“Hopefully, drug prices will fall, but until then, the renewal of the agreement provides seniors with another option to obtain low-cost prescription drugs,” said Gail Sumi, director of the National Association of Retired Persons Associate State Advocacy. ...more
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Seized Drugs Being Released
From the Los Angeles Times:
Amid mounting criticism of their crackdown on mail-order medications, customs officials have begun releasing hundreds of seized packages to consumers, Canadian pharmacies and U.S. lawmakers said Tuesday.
It was unclear whether the action signaled an end to the crackdown, which started in November when U.S. Customs and Border Protection quietly increased seizures of prescription drugs mailed from abroad.
After repeatedly denying that they had changed policies, customs officials this week acknowledged that the agency had stepped up enforcement of a federal law banning personal importation of pharmaceuticals. ...more
Amid mounting criticism of their crackdown on mail-order medications, customs officials have begun releasing hundreds of seized packages to consumers, Canadian pharmacies and U.S. lawmakers said Tuesday.
It was unclear whether the action signaled an end to the crackdown, which started in November when U.S. Customs and Border Protection quietly increased seizures of prescription drugs mailed from abroad.
After repeatedly denying that they had changed policies, customs officials this week acknowledged that the agency had stepped up enforcement of a federal law banning personal importation of pharmaceuticals. ...more
Nevada's Canadian drug import plan moves ahead
From the Las Vegas Sun:
A divided state panel moved ahead Wednesday with plans to let Nevadans get low-cost prescription drugs from Canada, voting 4-3 for new rules that will be up for final approval April 20.
The state Board of Pharmacy action at a workshop was taken despite an earlier warning from state Attorney General George Chanos that the import program could have dire legal consequences because it puts the state at odds with the federal Food and Drug Administration. ...more
A divided state panel moved ahead Wednesday with plans to let Nevadans get low-cost prescription drugs from Canada, voting 4-3 for new rules that will be up for final approval April 20.
The state Board of Pharmacy action at a workshop was taken despite an earlier warning from state Attorney General George Chanos that the import program could have dire legal consequences because it puts the state at odds with the federal Food and Drug Administration. ...more
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Fewer seniors turning to Canada for prescriptions - Boston.com
From the Boston Globe:
Retired furniture store owner Don Brock quit buying prescription drugs from Canada this year, now that he's signed up for the new federal Medicare drug benefit.
The next time he needs a refill on Lipitor, his daily anti-cholesterol drug, Brock will go to a pharmacy near his home in Litchfield. The 74-year-old says he was saving about $300 annually buying Canadian; now, he figures he'll save about $500 buying through Medicare. ...more
Retired furniture store owner Don Brock quit buying prescription drugs from Canada this year, now that he's signed up for the new federal Medicare drug benefit.
The next time he needs a refill on Lipitor, his daily anti-cholesterol drug, Brock will go to a pharmacy near his home in Litchfield. The 74-year-old says he was saving about $300 annually buying Canadian; now, he figures he'll save about $500 buying through Medicare. ...more
Monday, February 20, 2006
Canada drug-pricing questioned
The latest report from the Vancouver-based Fraser Institute has suggested no less than the total dismantling of the price control system in place on Canadian pharmaceuticals, all in the name of protecting the drug supply from American cross-border shoppers. The Institute suggests that a "temporary" price increase would put internet pharmacies out of business then drug companies would happily go back to previous regulations.
Is it me, or is this simply crazy? In an era of rising health care costs, drugs are one of the fastest growing areas of spending. Canadian pricing controls keep these costs somewhat in check. Meanwhile, Americans pay the highest drug prices in the world. I'd like to see the Fraser Institute convince provincial health ministers that having to double their expenditures on drugs for a couple of years to ensure that Canada doesn't run out of supply. This is like saying we need to double the price of milk for a couple of years because we're worried about the milk supply running out. It's the weirdest economic theory I can think of.
And maybe it's just me, but I think if price controls are removed, the drug companies would be quite reluctant to go back to the old system. After a couple of years of increased profits, it would be hard to convince them to turn back the clock. This would be a dream scenario for drug companies, and a nightmare for provincial governments, medical insurance companies, and individual customers and it would all be in the name of stopping internet pharmacy.
The report fails to mention that the Bush administation along with the FDA are totally against imporation and would never allow the mass imporation that the Fraser folks say would clean out the Canadian supply. So the whole argument is a moot point as I see it.
More on the story in the Calgary Sun article below....
Is it me, or is this simply crazy? In an era of rising health care costs, drugs are one of the fastest growing areas of spending. Canadian pricing controls keep these costs somewhat in check. Meanwhile, Americans pay the highest drug prices in the world. I'd like to see the Fraser Institute convince provincial health ministers that having to double their expenditures on drugs for a couple of years to ensure that Canada doesn't run out of supply. This is like saying we need to double the price of milk for a couple of years because we're worried about the milk supply running out. It's the weirdest economic theory I can think of.
And maybe it's just me, but I think if price controls are removed, the drug companies would be quite reluctant to go back to the old system. After a couple of years of increased profits, it would be hard to convince them to turn back the clock. This would be a dream scenario for drug companies, and a nightmare for provincial governments, medical insurance companies, and individual customers and it would all be in the name of stopping internet pharmacy.
The report fails to mention that the Bush administation along with the FDA are totally against imporation and would never allow the mass imporation that the Fraser folks say would clean out the Canadian supply. So the whole argument is a moot point as I see it.
More on the story in the Calgary Sun article below....
Canada must abandon regulated drug-pricing to stop Americans from draining brand-name prescription medicines through bulk buys from Internet pharmacies, says a report released Wednesday.
The Fraser Institute says such a move could see Canadians temporarily paying more for some drugs, but it would be worth it to prevent widespread shortages. There's no evidence to suggest brand-name drug makers would take advantage of "flexible pricing" and permanently boost the cost of drugs, said report author Brett Skinner. ...more
Province not paying for pricey cancer drug
Here's an interesting story of how procedure can get in the way of the treatment. It seems that an effective drug is not covered by Alberta's provincial coverage plan because it never got a NOC from Health Canada.
Maybe it's just me, but can't they make exceptions for products that are approved Canadian drugs with documented therapeutic benefits? These exceptional items should be subject to some kind of appeal process.
From the Edmonton Journal:
As Alberta prepares new legislation to become a leader in the war against cancer, some colon cancer patients are being forced to pick up big bills -- with tabs running as high as five figures -- for chemotherapy.
Alberta is one of three provinces that doesn't fund the drug oxaliplatin, considered an effective therapy for advanced colorectal cancer, because of a patent problem that never saw the drug go through a federal review process. ...more
Maybe it's just me, but can't they make exceptions for products that are approved Canadian drugs with documented therapeutic benefits? These exceptional items should be subject to some kind of appeal process.
Diabetics wanted for program to improve their quality of life
Perhaps someone out there can help this pharmacist with his program...
From the Hope (BC) Standard:
The Hope branch of the Canadian Diabetes Association and it’s president, pharmacist Mike McLoughlin, embarked last November on an ambitious project to improve the quality of life of diabetics. They are continuing to enroll patients.
The project was inspired by research done at the University of Alberta at Edmonton, which showed that “intensive” involvement of pharmacists with their patients showed substantial improvement over “typical” attention from pharmacists. Further inspiration came from the Steno Diabetes Center in Denmark. The average improvement from the extra treatment resulted in an average improvement of a 20-53% decrease in cardiovascular risk. ...more
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Health Canada Endorsed Important Safety Information on Octreotide Acetate Omega
From Health Canada:
Omega Laboratories, Ltd has initiated a Class I recall of Octreotide Acetate Omega 500 μg/mL. Some vials of Octreotide Acetate Omega 500 μg/mL Lot 5J970 might contain FLUPHENAZINE 100 mg/mL as a result of a labelling error during the manufacturing process.
Fluphenazine is an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and hostility. Fluphenazine is intended to be administered intramuscularly or subcutaneoulsy and should not be administered intravenously as is intended for Octreotide Acetate. ...more
Omega Laboratories, Ltd has initiated a Class I recall of Octreotide Acetate Omega 500 μg/mL. Some vials of Octreotide Acetate Omega 500 μg/mL Lot 5J970 might contain FLUPHENAZINE 100 mg/mL as a result of a labelling error during the manufacturing process.
Fluphenazine is an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and hostility. Fluphenazine is intended to be administered intramuscularly or subcutaneoulsy and should not be administered intravenously as is intended for Octreotide Acetate. ...more
Health Canada Endorsed Important Safety Information on Octreotide Acetate Omega
From Health Canada:
Omega Laboratories, Ltd has initiated a Class I recall of Octreotide Acetate Omega 500 μg/mL. Some vials of Octreotide Acetate Omega 500 μg/mL Lot 5J970 might contain FLUPHENAZINE 100 mg/mL as a result of a labelling error during the manufacturing process.
Fluphenazine is an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and hostility. Fluphenazine is intended to be administered intramuscularly or subcutaneoulsy and should not be administered intravenously as is intended for Octreotide Acetate. ...more
Omega Laboratories, Ltd has initiated a Class I recall of Octreotide Acetate Omega 500 μg/mL. Some vials of Octreotide Acetate Omega 500 μg/mL Lot 5J970 might contain FLUPHENAZINE 100 mg/mL as a result of a labelling error during the manufacturing process.
Fluphenazine is an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and hostility. Fluphenazine is intended to be administered intramuscularly or subcutaneoulsy and should not be administered intravenously as is intended for Octreotide Acetate. ...more
Sobeys unhappy with new guidelines
From the Halifax Chronicle Herald:
A major grocery store chain isn’t happy with the province’s move Monday to limit the amount of space pharmacies can use to sell food as part of new regulations on Sunday shopping.
Justice Minister Michael Baker announced that drugstores can’t dedicate more than 2,000 square feet of their retail space for food, nor can they have a retail sales area larger than 20,000 square feet.
But a spokesman for Sobeys says the new regulations don’t go far enough. ...more
A major grocery store chain isn’t happy with the province’s move Monday to limit the amount of space pharmacies can use to sell food as part of new regulations on Sunday shopping.
Justice Minister Michael Baker announced that drugstores can’t dedicate more than 2,000 square feet of their retail space for food, nor can they have a retail sales area larger than 20,000 square feet.
But a spokesman for Sobeys says the new regulations don’t go far enough. ...more
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Taking cold medicine off shelves a commercial move, grocers say
From the London Free Press:
Canada's independent grocers say a national pharmacy body's move to ban cold and allergy medicine from grocery shelves is meant to remove a competitor, not prevent the production of the street drug methamphetamine.
"We believe this decision's being made by a pharmacy body to benefit pharmacies," said Gary Sands, vice president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.
The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities, or NAPRA, has recommended almost all cough, cold and allergy medicines be removed from grocery store shelves to fight the production of the illegal drug. ...more
While I am not convinced that removing all pseudoephredrine-containing products from public access areas really makes a big difference in curbing the meth problem, I find it rather unlikely that NAPRA is using this as a cover to squeeze grocery stores out of the picture.
House OKs bill urging importation of medicine
From the Louisville (KY) Courier Journal:
Eleanor Johnson, 79, says she would like to have the chance to buy cheaper medications imported from other countries.
The Kentucky House passed a bill yesterday that could pave the way for that to happen.
House Bill 163, which would require the governor and state health officials to ask the federal government to allow the importation of drugs "from licensed foreign pharmacies, distributors and wholesalers by licensed pharmacies, distributors, and wholesalers," was approved 58 to 35 after a lively 45-minute debate. ...more
Eleanor Johnson, 79, says she would like to have the chance to buy cheaper medications imported from other countries.
The Kentucky House passed a bill yesterday that could pave the way for that to happen.
House Bill 163, which would require the governor and state health officials to ask the federal government to allow the importation of drugs "from licensed foreign pharmacies, distributors and wholesalers by licensed pharmacies, distributors, and wholesalers," was approved 58 to 35 after a lively 45-minute debate. ...more
Made-to-order medications: Thinking outside the bottle
From the Canadian Jewish News:
Pharmacist Murray Shore is enthusiastic about compounding medications – a growing and sometimes controversial field that creates custom-made drugs to meet individuals’ needs.
For Shore, who owns the Toronto Compounding Shoppe, compounding is a creative endeavour. He works with physicians to solve medication problems – distasteful flavours, ingredient allergies, infants’ tiny doses, nausea drugs that can’t be taken orally – with custom formulations created for individual patients.
“Many pharmacists don’t think out of the box,” Shore says. Compounding calls for “peripheral thinking,” using known drugs precisely to solve unique problems. ...more
Pharmacist Murray Shore is enthusiastic about compounding medications – a growing and sometimes controversial field that creates custom-made drugs to meet individuals’ needs.
For Shore, who owns the Toronto Compounding Shoppe, compounding is a creative endeavour. He works with physicians to solve medication problems – distasteful flavours, ingredient allergies, infants’ tiny doses, nausea drugs that can’t be taken orally – with custom formulations created for individual patients.
“Many pharmacists don’t think out of the box,” Shore says. Compounding calls for “peripheral thinking,” using known drugs precisely to solve unique problems. ...more
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