From CTV News:
There is new hope for patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis, as a drug initially developed to treat a form of leukemia may stop the progression of the debilitating neurological disease.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge have found that alemtuzumab not only halts the advancement of multiple sclerosis (MS), but it may also restore some function lost by patients.
MS is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the insulation that covers nerve fibres in the central nervous system.
This causes the nerves to malfunction and then die off, which results in a number of physical and intellectual disabilities.
In the study, the drug reduced the risk of developing disabilities by 71 per cent compared to the common drug treatment for MS, interferon beta-1a. ...more
Monday, October 27, 2008
Full house greets 'faith-based' pharmacy
From the Washington Times:
Divine Mercy Care Pharmacy, one of fewer than a dozen pharmacies in the country that refuse to stock any kind of birth control, cigarettes, pornography or condoms, opened with a Catholic bishop's blessing and sprinklings of holy water Tuesday in Chantilly.
About 100 people, half of them children, crammed into the DMC Pharmacy in Sully Place Shopping Center to hear Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde preach about "transforming hearts through health care" amid boxes and bottles of Clearasil, Neutrogena and St. Ives Apricot Scrub.
"The most fundamental illness in our contemporary society is a pervasive disrespect for the intrinsic worth and dignity of every human person, whose life begins at conception," the bishop said.
Applauding the pharmacy for providing "a faith-based, family-friendly, pro-life environment," he called the opening of the DMC Pharmacy "a historic moment."
The store, just off Route 50 in one of Northern Virginia's busiest corridors, refuses to dispense birth control on the grounds that it destroys a developing life and that the hormones in birth-control pills are dangerous to a woman's health. Catholic doctrine forbids the use of artificial birth control. ...more
Divine Mercy Care Pharmacy, one of fewer than a dozen pharmacies in the country that refuse to stock any kind of birth control, cigarettes, pornography or condoms, opened with a Catholic bishop's blessing and sprinklings of holy water Tuesday in Chantilly.
About 100 people, half of them children, crammed into the DMC Pharmacy in Sully Place Shopping Center to hear Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde preach about "transforming hearts through health care" amid boxes and bottles of Clearasil, Neutrogena and St. Ives Apricot Scrub.
"The most fundamental illness in our contemporary society is a pervasive disrespect for the intrinsic worth and dignity of every human person, whose life begins at conception," the bishop said.
Applauding the pharmacy for providing "a faith-based, family-friendly, pro-life environment," he called the opening of the DMC Pharmacy "a historic moment."
The store, just off Route 50 in one of Northern Virginia's busiest corridors, refuses to dispense birth control on the grounds that it destroys a developing life and that the hormones in birth-control pills are dangerous to a woman's health. Catholic doctrine forbids the use of artificial birth control. ...more
Millions of Flu Vaccines May Go Unused
From ABC News:
Flu shot regulations in states restricting pharmacies from freely administering flu shots may keep many people from getting immunized and leave millions of vaccines unused, many health care professionals say.
As the CDC looks to expand the scope of immunizations to the largest number of people yet, states that require citizens to get a prescription to receive the flu vaccine by pharmacists are finding it difficult to accommodate the increasing numbers who are recommended for vaccinations.
The policy will turn many people away from getting a flu shot, said Dr. William Schaffner, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University.
"Over the past decade, pharmacists have shown that they are very important partners in providing influenza vaccinations to the population," Schaffner said. "Having a physician's prescription is a barrier to more effective delivery of immunizations." ...more
Flu shot regulations in states restricting pharmacies from freely administering flu shots may keep many people from getting immunized and leave millions of vaccines unused, many health care professionals say.
As the CDC looks to expand the scope of immunizations to the largest number of people yet, states that require citizens to get a prescription to receive the flu vaccine by pharmacists are finding it difficult to accommodate the increasing numbers who are recommended for vaccinations.
The policy will turn many people away from getting a flu shot, said Dr. William Schaffner, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University.
"Over the past decade, pharmacists have shown that they are very important partners in providing influenza vaccinations to the population," Schaffner said. "Having a physician's prescription is a barrier to more effective delivery of immunizations." ...more
National Pharmacy Association Insurance Covers Pharmacists For Flu Vaccinations, UK
From Medical News Today:
NPA Insurance has confirmed that individual pharmacists who have taken out the £99 NPA Insurance policy or pharmacy owners who are NPA members, providing a flu vaccination service, are indemnified.
Glyn Walduck, Head of NPA Insurance said: "It has been highlighted to us that some insurance providers are charging an additional premium for pharmacists wishing to carry out flu vaccinations. NPA Insurance would like to confirm that NPA members are covered by their NPA Insurance policy to provide a flu vaccination service. That cover also extends to any pharmacist who is employed or engaged (locum) by a member to provide the service so long as the pharmacist has been trained and approved. Locum pharmacists who have the £99 NPA Insurance policy will also be covered." ...more
NPA Insurance has confirmed that individual pharmacists who have taken out the £99 NPA Insurance policy or pharmacy owners who are NPA members, providing a flu vaccination service, are indemnified.
Glyn Walduck, Head of NPA Insurance said: "It has been highlighted to us that some insurance providers are charging an additional premium for pharmacists wishing to carry out flu vaccinations. NPA Insurance would like to confirm that NPA members are covered by their NPA Insurance policy to provide a flu vaccination service. That cover also extends to any pharmacist who is employed or engaged (locum) by a member to provide the service so long as the pharmacist has been trained and approved. Locum pharmacists who have the £99 NPA Insurance policy will also be covered." ...more
Unused drugs costing NHS millions
From BBC News:
As much as £1 worth of every £20 spent on prescription drugs is never used by patients, according to the NHS.
A Scottish GP has called for a recycling scheme to stop hundreds of millions of pounds worth of unused drugs going to waste.
Some unused drugs are returned to pharmacists and incinerated, others are just binned by patients.
Dr James Douglas wants unopened medicines to be offered to patients who need them for free.
Drugs are often thrown away because clinicians over-prescribe or because patients fail to take their medicines. ...more
As much as £1 worth of every £20 spent on prescription drugs is never used by patients, according to the NHS.
A Scottish GP has called for a recycling scheme to stop hundreds of millions of pounds worth of unused drugs going to waste.
Some unused drugs are returned to pharmacists and incinerated, others are just binned by patients.
Dr James Douglas wants unopened medicines to be offered to patients who need them for free.
Drugs are often thrown away because clinicians over-prescribe or because patients fail to take their medicines. ...more
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Group lobbies to change N.D pharmacy law
I didn't realize that these types of ownership restrictions still existed anywhere in the States. I wish the pharmacists luck, but they are fighting a battle that was lost a long time ago in most jurisdictions.
From the Grand Forks (ND) Herald:
Spencer Clairmont cringed when he saw a television ad a few weeks ago featuring people saying they were surprised that they could buy cheaper prescription drugs in Minnesota or other states than North Dakota.
The ad says a 45-year-old North Dakota law that requires drug stores to be majority-owned by pharmacists is keeping drug prices artificially high. If the state Legislature would overturn the law, it argues, residents would see cheaper prices because stores such as Wal-Mart, Target or grocery stores such as Hugo’s would be allowed to sell prescriptions.
The advertising campaign, which touts Wal-Mart’s $4 prescriptions, is the work of a group called North Dakotans for Affordable Health Care, funded mostly by Wal-Mart and Walgreen’s.
“Their advertisement saying they’re the cheapest doesn’t square with reality,” said the 56-year-old Clairmont. He and his wife, Bev, both pharmacists, own Walhalla Prescription Store in this Pembina County town of about 1,000, 100 miles north of Grand Forks. ...more
Half of U.S. doctors often prescribe placebos
From MSNBC:
About half of American doctors in a new survey say they regularly give patients placebo treatments — usually drugs or vitamins that won't really help their condition.
And many of these doctors are not honest with their patients about what they are doing, the survey found.
That contradicts advice from the American Medical Association, which recommends doctors use treatments with the full knowledge of their patients.
"It's a disturbing finding," said Franklin G. Miller, director of the research ethics program at the U.S. National Institutes Health and one of the study authors. "There is an element of deception here which is contrary to the principle of informed consent."
The study was being published online in Friday's issue of BMJ, formerly the British Medical Journal.
Placebos as defined in the survey went beyond the typical sugar pill commonly used in medical studies. A placebo was any treatment that wouldn't necessarily help the patient. ...more
About half of American doctors in a new survey say they regularly give patients placebo treatments — usually drugs or vitamins that won't really help their condition.
And many of these doctors are not honest with their patients about what they are doing, the survey found.
That contradicts advice from the American Medical Association, which recommends doctors use treatments with the full knowledge of their patients.
"It's a disturbing finding," said Franklin G. Miller, director of the research ethics program at the U.S. National Institutes Health and one of the study authors. "There is an element of deception here which is contrary to the principle of informed consent."
The study was being published online in Friday's issue of BMJ, formerly the British Medical Journal.
Placebos as defined in the survey went beyond the typical sugar pill commonly used in medical studies. A placebo was any treatment that wouldn't necessarily help the patient. ...more
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
New Remedies to Treat Blood Clots Are Near
From the Wall Street Journal:
Several big drug makers are in a neck-and-neck race to introduce new drugs for treating blood clots, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes, killing as many as a million people a year.
The prize is a chance at a piece of the blood-clot treatment market, which analysts estimate could be worth as much as €15 billion, or about $20 billion, by 2016.
[Treat Blood Clots]
Drugs currently used to prevent blood clots, also known as thrombosis, are effective and sell well but have problems. One popular treatment is difficult to dose and introduces risks when taken with other medicines and some foods. Another is an injectable, making long-term therapy difficult.
Five pharmaceutical companies are working on new treatments for blood clots. Three drugs -- developed by Bayer AG in partnerships with Johnson & Johnson, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, and Pfizer Inc. in partnership with Bristol Myers-Squibb Co. -- are now in the late phases of clinical testing.
The new drugs are taken by mouth, which makes them easier to use, their dosing is less troublesome, and they need no laboratory monitoring. They are also potentially more effective than existing treatments. The drug developed by Bayer and J&J has shown superior efficacy compared with standard therapy in a recent study. ...more
Several big drug makers are in a neck-and-neck race to introduce new drugs for treating blood clots, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes, killing as many as a million people a year.
The prize is a chance at a piece of the blood-clot treatment market, which analysts estimate could be worth as much as €15 billion, or about $20 billion, by 2016.
[Treat Blood Clots]
Drugs currently used to prevent blood clots, also known as thrombosis, are effective and sell well but have problems. One popular treatment is difficult to dose and introduces risks when taken with other medicines and some foods. Another is an injectable, making long-term therapy difficult.
Five pharmaceutical companies are working on new treatments for blood clots. Three drugs -- developed by Bayer AG in partnerships with Johnson & Johnson, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, and Pfizer Inc. in partnership with Bristol Myers-Squibb Co. -- are now in the late phases of clinical testing.
The new drugs are taken by mouth, which makes them easier to use, their dosing is less troublesome, and they need no laboratory monitoring. They are also potentially more effective than existing treatments. The drug developed by Bayer and J&J has shown superior efficacy compared with standard therapy in a recent study. ...more
Secret, double life of a Walgreens druggist
This is a fascinating tale of a pharmacist-turned-lawyer who exposed a major corporation's fraudulent practices.
From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Neil Thompson arrived at Walgreens eight years ago with a pharmacist's calm demeanor, a disarming smile and an impeccable résumé that dated back to his boyhood at the family drugstore in south Minneapolis.
What Walgreens didn't know was that its new part-time employee had an ulterior motive: to expose the way pharmacies sometimes broke the law to make money. Thompson was so determined to stop the cheating that at age 45, he became a lawyer.
Starting in 2005, Thompson worked as a government-sanctioned undercover investigator, poring through records in the back offices of Walgreens stores. Little by little, he and a co-employee developed a case that Walgreens was overcharging Medicaid by millions.
Late last month, the secret lawsuit that Thompson and pharmacist Dan Bieurance filed against Walgreens became public. The U.S. Department of Justice announced that the pharmacy giant would pay $9.9 million to settle the case. The company said it had changed its procedures to end the overbilling. For turning in their employer, Thompson and Bieurance stand to gain $483,000 each. ...more
Inside an affiliate spam program for pharmaceuticals
I thought this was an interesting bit of insight into the world of internet pharmacy affiliates.
From ZDNet.com:
Bargaining with your health doesn’t just mean you’re heading for a shorter life expectancy, but also, increases the chances that you will either get scammed in the process, or have to pay more in the long-term while dealing with the health issues arising from using expired pharmaceutical with unverifiable origins, you bargained for at the first place.
Just like vendors of rogue security software and system utilities software contributing to the increase of cybercrime activities due to the high payout rates enticing the affiliate network’s participants to spam, engage in blackhat SEO and SQL inject sites to redirect the visitors to the scam domains, pharmaceutical affiliate programs do exactly the same by allowing spamming, blackhat SEO, botnet traffic through redirects, and due to high amounts of money they make - directly advertise the scam sites on the major search engines.
Affiliate Pharmaceutical ProgramOut of the close to a hundred (100) unique pharmaceutical spam affiliate programs currently operating, let’s find out what is driving the increasing levels of pharmaceutical spam by taking an inside peek at such a program operating since 2003, whose advertisements speak for themselves in terms of revenues - “Around 50 Americans (85% of their sales) purchase pharmaceuticals from their affiliates on an hourly basis“. ...more
Monday, October 20, 2008
Plan B is coming out from behind the counter
From the Edmonton Sun:
The emergency contraceptive drug known as Plan B could be coming out from behind the pharmacy counter.
The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities wants to change the way the drug is sold, allowing it to be freely available on drug store shelves instead of behind the pharmacy counter.
Currently, women who want to buy the drug have to ask pharmacy staff, a condition critics have contended may discourage some from using it to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
The change would see Plan B stocked on shelves near the dispensary, so purchasers could easily ask for advice on its use if they need it. ...more
The emergency contraceptive drug known as Plan B could be coming out from behind the pharmacy counter.
The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities wants to change the way the drug is sold, allowing it to be freely available on drug store shelves instead of behind the pharmacy counter.
Currently, women who want to buy the drug have to ask pharmacy staff, a condition critics have contended may discourage some from using it to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
The change would see Plan B stocked on shelves near the dispensary, so purchasers could easily ask for advice on its use if they need it. ...more
High fracture risk seen in heart failure patients
From the CBC News:
People with heart failure have an elevated risk for bone fractures, particularly a broken hip, and doctors should be on the lookout in these patients for signs of osteoporosis, Canadian researchers said Monday.
Among 16,294 patients with heart disease in Alberta, those treated for heart failure were four times as likely to have a fracture in the next year as those with other types of heart disease, the researchers report in the journal Circulation.
The heart failure patients were six times as likely as the others to sustain a hip fracture, the researchers added.
It was the first study to indicate heart failure patients are at greater risk for bone-weakening osteoporosis, said Dr. Justin Ezekowitz, director of the Heart Function Clinic at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, who helped lead the research.
"This intersection is important because orthopedic fracture, especially hip fracture, is very debilitating. On top of a very debilitating disease such as heart failure, this is a very big problem," Ezekowitz said in a telephone interview. ...more
People with heart failure have an elevated risk for bone fractures, particularly a broken hip, and doctors should be on the lookout in these patients for signs of osteoporosis, Canadian researchers said Monday.
Among 16,294 patients with heart disease in Alberta, those treated for heart failure were four times as likely to have a fracture in the next year as those with other types of heart disease, the researchers report in the journal Circulation.
The heart failure patients were six times as likely as the others to sustain a hip fracture, the researchers added.
It was the first study to indicate heart failure patients are at greater risk for bone-weakening osteoporosis, said Dr. Justin Ezekowitz, director of the Heart Function Clinic at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, who helped lead the research.
"This intersection is important because orthopedic fracture, especially hip fracture, is very debilitating. On top of a very debilitating disease such as heart failure, this is a very big problem," Ezekowitz said in a telephone interview. ...more
Sunday, October 19, 2008
New treatment works
From the Vancouver Province:
A legal painkiller called Dilaudid is more effective in treating serious heroin addiction than methadone therapy, according to a groundbreaking Canadian study.
The North American Opiate Medication Initiative, also known as NAOMI, examined the effectiveness of prescription heroin on hard-core addicts in Vancouver and Montreal, who have repeatedly failed treatment in the past.
Over a 12- to 15-month period beginning March 2007, 115 addicts in the study were prescribed medical-grade heroin, while 25 addicts were given hydromorphone or Dilaudid in a double-blind study. A control group of 111 addicts received oral methadone.
The results, released Friday, showed improved physical and psychological health, a decrease in illicit heroin use and a drop in criminal activities among all participants.
The retention rate for addicts receiving heroin or Dilaudid was 88 per cent. All but one of the addicts receiving Dilaudid were not able to distinguish it from heroin. ...more
A legal painkiller called Dilaudid is more effective in treating serious heroin addiction than methadone therapy, according to a groundbreaking Canadian study.
The North American Opiate Medication Initiative, also known as NAOMI, examined the effectiveness of prescription heroin on hard-core addicts in Vancouver and Montreal, who have repeatedly failed treatment in the past.
Over a 12- to 15-month period beginning March 2007, 115 addicts in the study were prescribed medical-grade heroin, while 25 addicts were given hydromorphone or Dilaudid in a double-blind study. A control group of 111 addicts received oral methadone.
The results, released Friday, showed improved physical and psychological health, a decrease in illicit heroin use and a drop in criminal activities among all participants.
The retention rate for addicts receiving heroin or Dilaudid was 88 per cent. All but one of the addicts receiving Dilaudid were not able to distinguish it from heroin. ...more
Thursday, October 09, 2008
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
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
City woman's fatal drug OD spurs $3.7M lawsuit
From the Edmonton Sun:
The drug-overdose death of an Edmonton woman was the result of negligence by her physician and pharmacists, a $3.7-million lawsuit claims.
The legal action, filed in Calgary Court of Queen's Bench, says Dawn Merrill Johansson wasn't properly monitored while on antidepressants, even though she had survived an earlier overdose.
Johansson died on Sept. 25, 2006, after consuming a fatal dose of the drug citalopram, under the brand name Celexa....
...Pharmacists at the Great Canadian Superstore where Johansson had her prescriptions filled were also negligent for "filling a prescription for an antidepressant which the defendants knew or ought to have known was associated with ... suicidal ideation," claims the suit....more
The drug-overdose death of an Edmonton woman was the result of negligence by her physician and pharmacists, a $3.7-million lawsuit claims.
The legal action, filed in Calgary Court of Queen's Bench, says Dawn Merrill Johansson wasn't properly monitored while on antidepressants, even though she had survived an earlier overdose.
Johansson died on Sept. 25, 2006, after consuming a fatal dose of the drug citalopram, under the brand name Celexa....
...Pharmacists at the Great Canadian Superstore where Johansson had her prescriptions filled were also negligent for "filling a prescription for an antidepressant which the defendants knew or ought to have known was associated with ... suicidal ideation," claims the suit....more
Use of Codeine Products by Nursing Mothers
From Health Canada:
Health Canada is advising the public, especially nursing mothers, about the very rare but serious health risk to breastfed babies posed by codeine use in mothers. Once ingested, codeine is converted by the body into morphine. Some people convert codeine into morphine more rapidly and completely than others. The babies of nursing mothers who rapidly metabolize codeine may be at increased risk for morphine overdose due to higher-than-expected morphine levels in breast milk.
Codeine is found in prescription and non-prescription products used to relieve pain or to treat coughs. Despite the common use of codeine products to manage postpartum pain, reports of adverse events in infants are rare. However, awareness of this new information is important because in severe cases, infant death can occur.
For Health Professionals
For the Public
Health Canada is advising the public, especially nursing mothers, about the very rare but serious health risk to breastfed babies posed by codeine use in mothers. Once ingested, codeine is converted by the body into morphine. Some people convert codeine into morphine more rapidly and completely than others. The babies of nursing mothers who rapidly metabolize codeine may be at increased risk for morphine overdose due to higher-than-expected morphine levels in breast milk.
Codeine is found in prescription and non-prescription products used to relieve pain or to treat coughs. Despite the common use of codeine products to manage postpartum pain, reports of adverse events in infants are rare. However, awareness of this new information is important because in severe cases, infant death can occur.
For Health Professionals
For the Public
Aspirin may cut breast cancer risk
From the Globe and Mail:
A new international study involving Canadian researchers is providing some of the most compelling evidence to date that anti-inflammatory drugs such as Aspirin and Advil may reduce a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.
Researchers reviewed 38 studies that involved a total of 2.7 million women from five countries and found that those who regularly took non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) had a lower incidence of breast cancer.
Past research has indicated there may be a link between the anti-inflammatory drugs and a reduced risk of breast cancer, but some of the results were inconsistent. The new study, being published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, is the largest review ever conducted of these studies and provides strong evidence of a relationship between the drugs, whose generic names are acetylsalicylic acid and ibuprofen, and a reduced breast-cancer risk.
"It is encouraging and we should definitely look into this further," said Mahyar Etminan, one of the study's authors and a scientist at the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation at Vancouver Coastal Health. The study was a joint effort by VCH, the University of British Columbia and the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, in Spain. ...more
A new international study involving Canadian researchers is providing some of the most compelling evidence to date that anti-inflammatory drugs such as Aspirin and Advil may reduce a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.
Researchers reviewed 38 studies that involved a total of 2.7 million women from five countries and found that those who regularly took non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) had a lower incidence of breast cancer.
Past research has indicated there may be a link between the anti-inflammatory drugs and a reduced risk of breast cancer, but some of the results were inconsistent. The new study, being published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, is the largest review ever conducted of these studies and provides strong evidence of a relationship between the drugs, whose generic names are acetylsalicylic acid and ibuprofen, and a reduced breast-cancer risk.
"It is encouraging and we should definitely look into this further," said Mahyar Etminan, one of the study's authors and a scientist at the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation at Vancouver Coastal Health. The study was a joint effort by VCH, the University of British Columbia and the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, in Spain. ...more
Health Canada probes 5 deaths that followed Botox injections
From the Victoria (BC) Times Colonist:
Health Canada is investigating the deaths of five people who had been injected with Botox, and serious reactions in another eight cases.
All the deaths involved people who were treated for such medical conditions as neck and muscle spasms. Two occurred in children with cerebral palsy, including a nine-year-old boy given Botox for drooling - a condition for which the drug hasn't been approved.
The reactions suggest the botulinum toxin may have spread to other parts of the body beyond where it was injected, according to Health Canada.
Only one of the 13 reports Health Canada had received as of March 28 involved using Botox for wrinkles, and none was medically confirmed as "distant toxin spread," according to the agency's most recent adverse reaction newsletter. ...more
Health Canada is investigating the deaths of five people who had been injected with Botox, and serious reactions in another eight cases.
All the deaths involved people who were treated for such medical conditions as neck and muscle spasms. Two occurred in children with cerebral palsy, including a nine-year-old boy given Botox for drooling - a condition for which the drug hasn't been approved.
The reactions suggest the botulinum toxin may have spread to other parts of the body beyond where it was injected, according to Health Canada.
Only one of the 13 reports Health Canada had received as of March 28 involved using Botox for wrinkles, and none was medically confirmed as "distant toxin spread," according to the agency's most recent adverse reaction newsletter. ...more
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Pharmacists want remedy for problematic overhaul
From the Guelph (Ont.) Mercury:
These days, pharmacist Carla Bradshaw wonders why she's in her profession.
Since Queen's Park overhauled the Ontario Drug Benefit program in late 2006, independent pharmacists like Bradshaw have seen their earnings plunge to the point many are closing up shop or selling out.
Bradshaw, who operates Remedy's Rx in the medical complex on Guelph's Westmount Road, is tempted to follow suit.
"It's hit hard," said Bradshaw, who has owned the business for nine years. "It's barely worthwhile for me to stay open as an independent pharmacist."
The changes that came into effect in October 2006 under Bill 102 reduced the government's cost of providing drug coverage to 2.2 million Ontarians. Among those, the list included seniors and people on disability support or social assistance.
The estimated yearly savings to the government is $277 million on the $3.4 billion it spends on drugs.
The changes reduced the markup pharmacists get for selling the products of manufacturers of generic drugs, which are less expensive copies of brand-name medicines. That dropped to eight per cent from 10 per cent, the Independent Pharmacists Association of Ontario reported. ...more
These days, pharmacist Carla Bradshaw wonders why she's in her profession.
Since Queen's Park overhauled the Ontario Drug Benefit program in late 2006, independent pharmacists like Bradshaw have seen their earnings plunge to the point many are closing up shop or selling out.
Bradshaw, who operates Remedy's Rx in the medical complex on Guelph's Westmount Road, is tempted to follow suit.
"It's hit hard," said Bradshaw, who has owned the business for nine years. "It's barely worthwhile for me to stay open as an independent pharmacist."
The changes that came into effect in October 2006 under Bill 102 reduced the government's cost of providing drug coverage to 2.2 million Ontarians. Among those, the list included seniors and people on disability support or social assistance.
The estimated yearly savings to the government is $277 million on the $3.4 billion it spends on drugs.
The changes reduced the markup pharmacists get for selling the products of manufacturers of generic drugs, which are less expensive copies of brand-name medicines. That dropped to eight per cent from 10 per cent, the Independent Pharmacists Association of Ontario reported. ...more
Pneumonia drug cuts heart attack risk
From the Vancouver Sun:
A vaccine that helps protect against pneumonia can also cut the risk of heart attacks, opening the door to a safe and inexpensive way to prevent thousands of cardiac deaths each year, new research shows.
The vaccine, typically used to protect the elderly against the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia, can lower the rate of heart attacks by as much as 50 per cent, says the study.
The study was published in the latest issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
"The magnitude of the effect was really surprising for us," said Dr. Danielle Pilon.
She is the study's lead author and an associate professor of medicine at the Universite de Sherbrooke in Quebec.
"We didn't expect the vaccine to lower the risk of heart attacks by such a high rate."
An accompanying editorial urges physicians to use the vaccine more widely as a preventive measure for patients at high risk of developing heart disease. ...more
A vaccine that helps protect against pneumonia can also cut the risk of heart attacks, opening the door to a safe and inexpensive way to prevent thousands of cardiac deaths each year, new research shows.
The vaccine, typically used to protect the elderly against the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia, can lower the rate of heart attacks by as much as 50 per cent, says the study.
The study was published in the latest issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
"The magnitude of the effect was really surprising for us," said Dr. Danielle Pilon.
She is the study's lead author and an associate professor of medicine at the Universite de Sherbrooke in Quebec.
"We didn't expect the vaccine to lower the risk of heart attacks by such a high rate."
An accompanying editorial urges physicians to use the vaccine more widely as a preventive measure for patients at high risk of developing heart disease. ...more
Cold medication not for kids under 4, U.S. companies say
From Canada.com:
As drug companies in the United States put new warning labels on cold and flu medication for children under four years old, a Canadian manufacturer of children's medicine, said it would not follow suit.
Major U.S. pharmaceutical companies announced Tuesday they would change labels on cough and cold medicines to warn consumers not to give the products to children under four, said the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, a group representing the American producers of over-the-counter kids medicine.
"After consulting with the Food and Drug Administration, the leading manufacturers of these medicines are voluntarily transitioning the labelling on oral (over-the-counter) pediatric cough and cold medicines to state "do not use" in children under four years of age," it said in a statement.
However, Johnson & Johnson Canada said no such warnings will be put on the Canadian products yet.
"At this time the initiatives in the U.S. don't affect our products in Canada," said spokeswoman Tina Peyregatt. "We have been in continuous talks with Health Canada on the same topic but at this time we have not arrived at a decision." ...more
As drug companies in the United States put new warning labels on cold and flu medication for children under four years old, a Canadian manufacturer of children's medicine, said it would not follow suit.
Major U.S. pharmaceutical companies announced Tuesday they would change labels on cough and cold medicines to warn consumers not to give the products to children under four, said the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, a group representing the American producers of over-the-counter kids medicine.
"After consulting with the Food and Drug Administration, the leading manufacturers of these medicines are voluntarily transitioning the labelling on oral (over-the-counter) pediatric cough and cold medicines to state "do not use" in children under four years of age," it said in a statement.
However, Johnson & Johnson Canada said no such warnings will be put on the Canadian products yet.
"At this time the initiatives in the U.S. don't affect our products in Canada," said spokeswoman Tina Peyregatt. "We have been in continuous talks with Health Canada on the same topic but at this time we have not arrived at a decision." ...more
U of M pharmacy students best in Canada
From the Winnipeg Free Press:
Pharmacy students at the University of Manitoba have proven they're the best in Canada by finishing first in the 2008 Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) licensing examinations.
The U of M was one of only two programs in Canada to receive a 100 per cent overall certification on the exams. The exam process includes a written multiple-choice test and a clinical examination component.
It's the third time in five years that U of M has landed in first place. ...more
Pharmacy students at the University of Manitoba have proven they're the best in Canada by finishing first in the 2008 Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) licensing examinations.
The U of M was one of only two programs in Canada to receive a 100 per cent overall certification on the exams. The exam process includes a written multiple-choice test and a clinical examination component.
It's the third time in five years that U of M has landed in first place. ...more
Pharmacists pay for state bungling
Can you imagine an equivalent situation, where a Canadian provincial government implemented a drug plan then didn't reimburse the pharmacies that have already dispensed the drugs? It would be a total mess.
From the Fort Mills (SC) Times:
Illinois pharmacists are stuck helping pay for the Blagojevich administration's bungled health care program expansion.
The Department of Healthcare and Family Services has been informing pharmacies they must eat the cost of drugs dispensed under the expanded FamilyCare program that two courts have struck down, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.
The computerized notice, with a specific voucher number indicating the service that would not be reimbursed, carries a date of April 21. HFS has not explained whether that was when the prescription was filled or when the notice was sent.
It was two days before an administration lawyer told a Cook County judge that officials had not come up with a way to determine who had received medical care under the illegal expansion, from whom, or how much had been paid. ...more
Monday, October 06, 2008
Jean Coutu Group Reports Net Loss on Rite Aid Stake
From Bloomberg:
Jean Coutu Group Inc., the Canadian drugstore chain that owns about a third of Rite Aid Corp., reported a second-quarter loss because of its stake in the money-losing U.S. pharmacy chain. Sales missed analysts' estimate as consumers slowed spending.
The net loss was C$39.1 million ($36 million), or 16 cents a share, compared with net income of C$8.3 million, or 3 cents, a year earlier, the Longueuil, Quebec-based company said today in a statement.
Rite Aid reported Sept. 25 that its second-quarter loss more than doubled to $222 million, or 27 cents a share, because of declining sales and higher financing costs. It was Rite Aid's fifth straight unprofitable quarter. Canadian accounting rules require Jean Coutu to include results from its 30 percent stake in Rite Aid in its financial statements.
``Rite Aid is still a bit of an albatross, even though it's only worth about 10 to 12 percent of the stock,'' David Hartley, an analyst with BMO Capital Markets, said in a telephone interview. ...more
Jean Coutu Group Inc., the Canadian drugstore chain that owns about a third of Rite Aid Corp., reported a second-quarter loss because of its stake in the money-losing U.S. pharmacy chain. Sales missed analysts' estimate as consumers slowed spending.
The net loss was C$39.1 million ($36 million), or 16 cents a share, compared with net income of C$8.3 million, or 3 cents, a year earlier, the Longueuil, Quebec-based company said today in a statement.
Rite Aid reported Sept. 25 that its second-quarter loss more than doubled to $222 million, or 27 cents a share, because of declining sales and higher financing costs. It was Rite Aid's fifth straight unprofitable quarter. Canadian accounting rules require Jean Coutu to include results from its 30 percent stake in Rite Aid in its financial statements.
``Rite Aid is still a bit of an albatross, even though it's only worth about 10 to 12 percent of the stock,'' David Hartley, an analyst with BMO Capital Markets, said in a telephone interview. ...more
Sale of cough, cold medicines for children under 6 reviewed
From CBC News:
Banning over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children under six might drive parents to resort to adult medicines, a U.S. health official said in weighing a recall of products to fight runny noses, hacking and congestion.
Some pediatricians and consumer groups are seeking a ban on the sale of the cough and cold medicines for children, saying the value of the products remains unproven and they are potentially risky.
At a public hearing Thursday, officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration agreed there is a lack of solid evidence to support the use of the pediatric cough and cold medicines, especially in those aged two to six.
But if parents turn to adult medicines, the results could be worse, said Dr. John Jenkins, head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of New Drugs. ...more
Banning over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children under six might drive parents to resort to adult medicines, a U.S. health official said in weighing a recall of products to fight runny noses, hacking and congestion.
Some pediatricians and consumer groups are seeking a ban on the sale of the cough and cold medicines for children, saying the value of the products remains unproven and they are potentially risky.
At a public hearing Thursday, officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration agreed there is a lack of solid evidence to support the use of the pediatric cough and cold medicines, especially in those aged two to six.
But if parents turn to adult medicines, the results could be worse, said Dr. John Jenkins, head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of New Drugs. ...more
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Entrepreneur writes up alternative to drug samples
From the Halifax Chronicle Herald:
Nova Scotia entrepreneur William Adams will take centre stage Friday at a special awards ceremony celebrating innovation.
Mr. Adams is the force behind SmartSample, which replaces traditional pharmaceutical samples with a specialized prescription that physicians can endorse and give to patients. Patients can use the prescription to receive free samples from any pharmacy in Canada from its regular supply of medications.
A practice dating back to the 1920s, sampling is the pharmaceutical industry’s primary marketing tool. It also has a important role in health care because it allows physicians and patients to evaluate drug therapies at no cost.
But as traditionally practised, Mr. Adams said sampling is wasteful and incompatible with electronic health records, and has the potential to compromise patient safety.
As a new pharmaceutical rep in the 1990s, on the road for two weeks each month with a minivan full of drug samples, Mr. Adams quickly realized how challenging it was to meet Health Canada’s guidelines for pharmaceutical products. Like prescribed medications, drug samples should be stored at the right temperature and used before they expire, and Adams says that before pharmaceutical reps can collect expired drug samples, many end up in landfills. ...more
Nova Scotia entrepreneur William Adams will take centre stage Friday at a special awards ceremony celebrating innovation.
Mr. Adams is the force behind SmartSample, which replaces traditional pharmaceutical samples with a specialized prescription that physicians can endorse and give to patients. Patients can use the prescription to receive free samples from any pharmacy in Canada from its regular supply of medications.
A practice dating back to the 1920s, sampling is the pharmaceutical industry’s primary marketing tool. It also has a important role in health care because it allows physicians and patients to evaluate drug therapies at no cost.
But as traditionally practised, Mr. Adams said sampling is wasteful and incompatible with electronic health records, and has the potential to compromise patient safety.
As a new pharmaceutical rep in the 1990s, on the road for two weeks each month with a minivan full of drug samples, Mr. Adams quickly realized how challenging it was to meet Health Canada’s guidelines for pharmaceutical products. Like prescribed medications, drug samples should be stored at the right temperature and used before they expire, and Adams says that before pharmaceutical reps can collect expired drug samples, many end up in landfills. ...more
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Union says medicine from Canada could save East Hampton big bucks
While the city of Boston is cutting off their Canadian drug program, the town of East Hampton, New York is investigating the possibility of setting up a Canadian importation program of their own. It's a bit hard to believe that a government would be looking at doing this now. I think this town is four or five years behind the curve.
From 27 East (NY):
Hoping to convince East Hampton Town lawmakers not to switch town employees’ health benefits to a state-administered insurance plan, leaders of the Civil Service Employees Association have proposed turning to a Canadian mail-order prescription drug supplier to cut costs.
Representatives from the Civil Service Employees of America and CanaRx, a firm that provides name-brand prescription drugs from Canada at a deep discount, claim that using the Canadian company could save the town some $490,000 a year, based on town employees’ current number of prescriptions, and allow the town to continue self-insuring its civil service employees.
But Supervisor Bill McGintee said the prescription drug savings proposed are not enough to match the potential savings that changing medical plans would bring the cash-strapped town. He said that switching from the current self-insured medical benefits to a plan offered by Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield, a state-administered health insurance organization, could save the town $1.5 million in 2009. ...more
Province to offer vaccine at clinics for Catholics
From the Calgary Herald:
Alberta medical officials said Monday they will likely offer the human papillomavirus vaccine at public health clinics for local Catholic students and others in the province whose schools have banned the controversial shots.
Dr. Gerry Predy, acting chief medical officer of health, said Alberta Health must ensure all Grade 5 girls have equitable and free access to the HPV vaccine, which is designed to prevent cervical cancer.
"We need to look at how we can offer it in parts of the province where school districts won't offer it, and come up with a consistent way of doing it," said Predy.
"That's probably how it will be pursued . . . at clinics."
Health officials have been discussing how to deliver the vaccine to students in the separate system after two Catholic school districts in the province voted last week against participating in the province's new HPV vaccination program. ...more
Alberta medical officials said Monday they will likely offer the human papillomavirus vaccine at public health clinics for local Catholic students and others in the province whose schools have banned the controversial shots.
Dr. Gerry Predy, acting chief medical officer of health, said Alberta Health must ensure all Grade 5 girls have equitable and free access to the HPV vaccine, which is designed to prevent cervical cancer.
"We need to look at how we can offer it in parts of the province where school districts won't offer it, and come up with a consistent way of doing it," said Predy.
"That's probably how it will be pursued . . . at clinics."
Health officials have been discussing how to deliver the vaccine to students in the separate system after two Catholic school districts in the province voted last week against participating in the province's new HPV vaccination program. ...more
2 Twin Cities pharmacists blow whistle on Walgreens' Medicaid billing
From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Walgreens has paid the United States and Minnesota and three other states nearly $10 million to resolve allegations of falsely billing Medicaid, the U.S. Justice Department announced Monday, with some of that money going to two Twin Cities pharmacists who turned in the industry giant.
The United States initiated the investigation in response to a lawsuit brought by pharmacists Daniel Bieurance and Neil Thompson.
As a result of the settlement, the pharmacists will divide $1.44 million out of the $9.9 million recovery. An attorney for the pharmacists said that Thompson still works part time for Walgreens on Hiawatha Avenue in south Minneapolis; Bieurance left Walgreens for another job in pharmacy. Thompson also has a law practice in Minneapolis. ...more
Walgreens has paid the United States and Minnesota and three other states nearly $10 million to resolve allegations of falsely billing Medicaid, the U.S. Justice Department announced Monday, with some of that money going to two Twin Cities pharmacists who turned in the industry giant.
The United States initiated the investigation in response to a lawsuit brought by pharmacists Daniel Bieurance and Neil Thompson.
As a result of the settlement, the pharmacists will divide $1.44 million out of the $9.9 million recovery. An attorney for the pharmacists said that Thompson still works part time for Walgreens on Hiawatha Avenue in south Minneapolis; Bieurance left Walgreens for another job in pharmacy. Thompson also has a law practice in Minneapolis. ...more
Monday, September 29, 2008
Layton pledges $1B to help families with prescription drugs
From the Vancouver Province:
NDP Leader Jack Layton is promising $1 billion a year to help patients pay for prescription drugs.
"The cost of prescription drugs is hurting families across Canada," Layton said at BCIT's Burnaby campus Friday morning.
The plan would support patients who spend more than $1,500 annually on medication, and is based on the Romanow report on the future of health care.
Layton also wants to set up a national program to bulk-buy medications, and to replace patent drugs with lower-cost generic drugs. ...more
NDP Leader Jack Layton is promising $1 billion a year to help patients pay for prescription drugs.
"The cost of prescription drugs is hurting families across Canada," Layton said at BCIT's Burnaby campus Friday morning.
The plan would support patients who spend more than $1,500 annually on medication, and is based on the Romanow report on the future of health care.
Layton also wants to set up a national program to bulk-buy medications, and to replace patent drugs with lower-cost generic drugs. ...more
Canadian prescription drug supplier ending Hub program
From the Boston Globe:
Four years after Mayor Thomas M. Menino bucked federal regulators and made Boston the biggest city nationally to offer low-cost Canadian prescription drugs to employees and retirees, the program has fizzled, never having attracted more than a few dozen participants.
In late July, the Canadian supplier for the program, Winnipeg-based Total Care Pharmacy, sent a letter to city officials saying the firm was terminating its agreement because there were so few participants. When the last Canadian drugs from the company are shipped to Boston retirees in December, it will mark the quiet end to an initiative that generated headlines for Menino.
Menino administration officials blamed the end of the program on a lack of interest from city retirees eligible to participate.
"If things are grossly underenrolled, that's the market saying they're not really interested in that product," said Meredith Weenick, the city's associate director of administration and finance. ...more
Four years after Mayor Thomas M. Menino bucked federal regulators and made Boston the biggest city nationally to offer low-cost Canadian prescription drugs to employees and retirees, the program has fizzled, never having attracted more than a few dozen participants.
In late July, the Canadian supplier for the program, Winnipeg-based Total Care Pharmacy, sent a letter to city officials saying the firm was terminating its agreement because there were so few participants. When the last Canadian drugs from the company are shipped to Boston retirees in December, it will mark the quiet end to an initiative that generated headlines for Menino.
Menino administration officials blamed the end of the program on a lack of interest from city retirees eligible to participate.
"If things are grossly underenrolled, that's the market saying they're not really interested in that product," said Meredith Weenick, the city's associate director of administration and finance. ...more
Chinese aphrodisiac may outperform blockbuster drug
From the Vancouver Sun:
Italian researchers are testing a promising alternative to Viagra that they're calling 3,7-bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-icaritin - or more simply put, "horny goat weed."
In lab experiments, a semi-synthetic derivative of the active compound in Epimedium brevicornum, an ancient Chinese herbal remedy for impotence, performed as well as Viagra but with the potential for fewer side effects, the researchers say.
It's an ironic finding: Health Canada has issued a string of warnings on Chinese herbal products for erectile dysfunction because they contain undeclared sildenafil - the active ingredient in Viagra.
Now, a Chinese aphrodisiac may outperform the blockbuster drug.
The study is scheduled for the Oct. 24 issue of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Natural Products. ...more
Italian researchers are testing a promising alternative to Viagra that they're calling 3,7-bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-icaritin - or more simply put, "horny goat weed."
In lab experiments, a semi-synthetic derivative of the active compound in Epimedium brevicornum, an ancient Chinese herbal remedy for impotence, performed as well as Viagra but with the potential for fewer side effects, the researchers say.
It's an ironic finding: Health Canada has issued a string of warnings on Chinese herbal products for erectile dysfunction because they contain undeclared sildenafil - the active ingredient in Viagra.
Now, a Chinese aphrodisiac may outperform the blockbuster drug.
The study is scheduled for the Oct. 24 issue of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Natural Products. ...more
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Statin use in seniors linked to higher risk of delirium after surgery
From CBC News:
Elderly people who take cholesterol-lowering statins may be at higher risk for delirium after surgery, say Canadian researchers who suggest temporarily stopping use of the drugs before surgery to prevent the complication.
People over 70 commonly show delirium or confusion after elective surgery, such as to repair hip fractures. Doctors now recognize delirium as a complication that should be prevented, recognized and treated.
Delirium not only causes anxiety for patients and their families, it also contributes to longer hospital stays, prolongs the need for intensive care and may disrupt or delay care, the researchers said.
In Tuesday's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dr. Donald Redelmeier of Ontario's Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and his colleagues concluded the use of statins is associated with a 28 per cent increased risk of delirium in elderly patients who had surgery between 1992 and 2002.
To come to that conclusion, the researchers reviewed hospital and outpatient pharmacy records of more than 280,000 patients aged 65 or older who were admitted for elective surgery.
Among the seven per cent of patients taking statins, 3,195 experienced delirium after surgery, the researchers said. ...more
Elderly people who take cholesterol-lowering statins may be at higher risk for delirium after surgery, say Canadian researchers who suggest temporarily stopping use of the drugs before surgery to prevent the complication.
People over 70 commonly show delirium or confusion after elective surgery, such as to repair hip fractures. Doctors now recognize delirium as a complication that should be prevented, recognized and treated.
Delirium not only causes anxiety for patients and their families, it also contributes to longer hospital stays, prolongs the need for intensive care and may disrupt or delay care, the researchers said.
In Tuesday's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dr. Donald Redelmeier of Ontario's Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and his colleagues concluded the use of statins is associated with a 28 per cent increased risk of delirium in elderly patients who had surgery between 1992 and 2002.
To come to that conclusion, the researchers reviewed hospital and outpatient pharmacy records of more than 280,000 patients aged 65 or older who were admitted for elective surgery.
Among the seven per cent of patients taking statins, 3,195 experienced delirium after surgery, the researchers said. ...more
Pharmacists give wrong advice to almost half of customers, watchdog claims
From the Telegraph (UK):
An undercover investigation has found that many pharmacies – especially independent outlets – are relying on poorly-trained staff and failing to give the correct information to customers.
Which?, the consumer watchdog, sent investigators to visit 101 pharmacies across the UK and got unsatisfactory advice on a third of visits, according to an expert panel.
Independent pharmacies fared particularly poorly, giving unsatisfactory advice on around half – 48 per cent – of visits compared to 38 per cent of national and regional chains and 26 per cent of the biggest players and supermarkets.
The outlets failed to give the correct advice to the mystery shopper, who pretended to have traveller's diarrhoea in 14 out of the 32 visits. They failed to ask whether the patient had been abroad or for how long they had been suffering.
In many cases the advice was given by a sales assistant who failed to consult the qualified pharmacist, a decision which "astounded" the expert panel.
Which? magazine editor Neil Fowler said: "People are increasingly turning to pharmacies for the sort of advice they might have gone to their GP for in the past, but we're concerned that in some cases they're getting advice that is unsuitable and potentially unsafe. ...more
An undercover investigation has found that many pharmacies – especially independent outlets – are relying on poorly-trained staff and failing to give the correct information to customers.
Which?, the consumer watchdog, sent investigators to visit 101 pharmacies across the UK and got unsatisfactory advice on a third of visits, according to an expert panel.
Independent pharmacies fared particularly poorly, giving unsatisfactory advice on around half – 48 per cent – of visits compared to 38 per cent of national and regional chains and 26 per cent of the biggest players and supermarkets.
The outlets failed to give the correct advice to the mystery shopper, who pretended to have traveller's diarrhoea in 14 out of the 32 visits. They failed to ask whether the patient had been abroad or for how long they had been suffering.
In many cases the advice was given by a sales assistant who failed to consult the qualified pharmacist, a decision which "astounded" the expert panel.
Which? magazine editor Neil Fowler said: "People are increasingly turning to pharmacies for the sort of advice they might have gone to their GP for in the past, but we're concerned that in some cases they're getting advice that is unsuitable and potentially unsafe. ...more
ADHD drugs should be last resort: new guidelines
From CTV News:
Drugs such as Ritalin should be a last resort for treating children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and should never be prescribed to kids of preschool age, new guidelines suggest.
The new guidelines, issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the United Kingdom, recommend that parents and other caregivers receive training in the care and management of the disease as a first line of treatment.
If parental management proves ineffective for ADHD patients between the ages of 11 and 18, group or individual counselling should be the next option considered for treatment, the guidelines suggest.
"Drug treatment is not indicated as the first-line treatment for all school-age children and young people with ADHD," the guidelines say.
Treatment with Ritalin or other drugs, "should be reserved for those with severe symptoms and impairment," or for those who have refused or not responded to parent training or psychological treatment.
For children with severe ADHD, medication is still recommended as a first-line treatment, with parent management as a supplementary treatment. ..more
Drugs such as Ritalin should be a last resort for treating children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and should never be prescribed to kids of preschool age, new guidelines suggest.
The new guidelines, issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the United Kingdom, recommend that parents and other caregivers receive training in the care and management of the disease as a first line of treatment.
If parental management proves ineffective for ADHD patients between the ages of 11 and 18, group or individual counselling should be the next option considered for treatment, the guidelines suggest.
"Drug treatment is not indicated as the first-line treatment for all school-age children and young people with ADHD," the guidelines say.
Treatment with Ritalin or other drugs, "should be reserved for those with severe symptoms and impairment," or for those who have refused or not responded to parent training or psychological treatment.
For children with severe ADHD, medication is still recommended as a first-line treatment, with parent management as a supplementary treatment. ..more
Clement open to drug plan but sees other options
From CTV News:
Conservative Health Minister Tony Clement says he's open to creating a catastrophic-illness drug plan such as the one promised by the Liberals and the New Democrats, but a brand new initiative isn't the only solution.
Speaking to CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday, Clement said there is already money in the health care system that could go towards prescription drugs if the provinces and feds could work together on the issue.
"What I've said to my provincial counterparts is I'm willing to go forward with a new initiative, but there's money in the system now," Clement said from Huntsville, Ont.
"If we work together to do bulk purchasing of pharmaceutical products, if we work together to reduce our generic drug costs -- because our costs are 25 to 30 per cent higher than they have in the U.S -- then we can find the money to put to new, innovative drugs or drugs for rare diseases." ...more
Conservative Health Minister Tony Clement says he's open to creating a catastrophic-illness drug plan such as the one promised by the Liberals and the New Democrats, but a brand new initiative isn't the only solution.
Speaking to CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday, Clement said there is already money in the health care system that could go towards prescription drugs if the provinces and feds could work together on the issue.
"What I've said to my provincial counterparts is I'm willing to go forward with a new initiative, but there's money in the system now," Clement said from Huntsville, Ont.
"If we work together to do bulk purchasing of pharmaceutical products, if we work together to reduce our generic drug costs -- because our costs are 25 to 30 per cent higher than they have in the U.S -- then we can find the money to put to new, innovative drugs or drugs for rare diseases." ...more
Apotex Inc. donates $1.5 million to college of pharmacy
From the Saskatoon Star Phoenix:
The University of Saskatchewan's college of pharmacy received its largest-ever single donation on Tuesday.
Apotex Inc., the country's largest pharmaceutical company, announced a $1.5-million gift to the college.
The bulk of the money will help fund research and provide support for graduate students, but $250,000 has been earmarked for an improved practice laboratory for pharmacy students.
"The lab is great," said Jessica Gagatek, a pharmacy student entering her second year at the college.
"It's a non-invasive way of gaining experience that gives students the confidence to go into a workplace setting."
On Tuesday, Gagatek helped demonstrate the kind of hands-on learning that occurs in the lab by showing Apotex president Jack Kay how to properly take a prescribed dose of penicillin. ...more
The University of Saskatchewan's college of pharmacy received its largest-ever single donation on Tuesday.
Apotex Inc., the country's largest pharmaceutical company, announced a $1.5-million gift to the college.
The bulk of the money will help fund research and provide support for graduate students, but $250,000 has been earmarked for an improved practice laboratory for pharmacy students.
"The lab is great," said Jessica Gagatek, a pharmacy student entering her second year at the college.
"It's a non-invasive way of gaining experience that gives students the confidence to go into a workplace setting."
On Tuesday, Gagatek helped demonstrate the kind of hands-on learning that occurs in the lab by showing Apotex president Jack Kay how to properly take a prescribed dose of penicillin. ...more
Litigation train keeps rolling on
From the Financial Post:
Harry Radomski of the law firm Goodmans in Toronto is lead generic drug counsel for Apotex inc. He's driving a litigation train.
Notice of compliance cases -- a method pharmaceutical companies use for obtaining approval of a new drug -- constitute some 90% of the firm's IP litigation, generating between $10-and $20-million in annual billings for Mr. Radomski and his colleagues.
The truth is that pharmaceutical litigation of the kind known as generic drug litigation is a docket hog. Such cases make up at least 60% of all patent cases in the Federal Court and consume at least 75% of the legal fees. Indeed, on one summer day, 17 of the 20 motions on the Federal Court list in Toronto were pharmaceutical cases.
"IP litigation lawyers should erect a monument to Barry Sherman," says Scott Jolliffe, managing partner of Gowling Lafleur Henderson in Toronto.
Mr. Sherman is the founder of Apotex, Canada's largest pharmaceuticals manufacturer and a maker of generic drugs that fill some 50 million prescriptions in Canada annually -- "the devil incarnate to the brands," as one lawyer calls the company. With costs of $100-million to $1-billion to bring a drug to market, brand-name drugmakers, known as innovators, have a huge investment to recoup. ...more
Harry Radomski of the law firm Goodmans in Toronto is lead generic drug counsel for Apotex inc. He's driving a litigation train.
Notice of compliance cases -- a method pharmaceutical companies use for obtaining approval of a new drug -- constitute some 90% of the firm's IP litigation, generating between $10-and $20-million in annual billings for Mr. Radomski and his colleagues.
The truth is that pharmaceutical litigation of the kind known as generic drug litigation is a docket hog. Such cases make up at least 60% of all patent cases in the Federal Court and consume at least 75% of the legal fees. Indeed, on one summer day, 17 of the 20 motions on the Federal Court list in Toronto were pharmaceutical cases.
"IP litigation lawyers should erect a monument to Barry Sherman," says Scott Jolliffe, managing partner of Gowling Lafleur Henderson in Toronto.
Mr. Sherman is the founder of Apotex, Canada's largest pharmaceuticals manufacturer and a maker of generic drugs that fill some 50 million prescriptions in Canada annually -- "the devil incarnate to the brands," as one lawyer calls the company. With costs of $100-million to $1-billion to bring a drug to market, brand-name drugmakers, known as innovators, have a huge investment to recoup. ...more
Canadian to ship AIDS drugs to Rwanda for first, perhaps last time
From the Vancouver Sun:
Seven million pills will leave Toronto Wednesday bound for Rwanda, the first and perhaps the last shipment of generic, low-cost drugs to treat HIV-AIDS produced under Canada's Access to Medicine Regime (CAMR).
This is the first time any manufacturer in any country has used such a licensing framework to get essential medicine to people in the developing world.
But Apotex, the drug manufacturer that produced the pills, says the Canadian legislation - and the World Trade Organization regulations it's based on - has created such a complicated, costly system, the company won't be doing it again unless the regulations are changed.
"It took us more than four years just to get to this point," says Elie Betito, director of public affairs for Apotex, the generic-drug manufacturer supplying the pills. "It's a huge process, with huge costs involved.
"We will not be doing this again."
The process began when humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres asked Apotex to produce a generic version of several costly, brand-name antiretroviral medications - treatments easily accessible to patients in the developed world and proven to prolong the life of most AIDS patients for years. ...more
Seven million pills will leave Toronto Wednesday bound for Rwanda, the first and perhaps the last shipment of generic, low-cost drugs to treat HIV-AIDS produced under Canada's Access to Medicine Regime (CAMR).
This is the first time any manufacturer in any country has used such a licensing framework to get essential medicine to people in the developing world.
But Apotex, the drug manufacturer that produced the pills, says the Canadian legislation - and the World Trade Organization regulations it's based on - has created such a complicated, costly system, the company won't be doing it again unless the regulations are changed.
"It took us more than four years just to get to this point," says Elie Betito, director of public affairs for Apotex, the generic-drug manufacturer supplying the pills. "It's a huge process, with huge costs involved.
"We will not be doing this again."
The process began when humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres asked Apotex to produce a generic version of several costly, brand-name antiretroviral medications - treatments easily accessible to patients in the developed world and proven to prolong the life of most AIDS patients for years. ...more
Lung drug linked to heart risks: study
From CBC News:
An inhaled lung medication used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchitis may slightly increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from coronary disease, researchers said Tuesday.
The increased risks were found in people who took tiotropium, sold in Canada and the U.S. as Spiriva, or the older medication ipratropium, available generically and under the brand name Atrovent, for at least a month.
The findings, which appear in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, mean that for every 40 patients using either drug for one year, there would be one extra death linked to the medication, said study author Dr. Sonal Singh of Wake Forest University's medical school.
The drugs are taken to relax muscles and open airways in the lungs.
The researchers analyzed data from 17 international studies involving more than 14,700 people to compare health risks of people who took the drugs to treat symptoms of COPD to those who took other inhaled medications for the same symptoms or a placebo. ...more
An inhaled lung medication used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchitis may slightly increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from coronary disease, researchers said Tuesday.
The increased risks were found in people who took tiotropium, sold in Canada and the U.S. as Spiriva, or the older medication ipratropium, available generically and under the brand name Atrovent, for at least a month.
The findings, which appear in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, mean that for every 40 patients using either drug for one year, there would be one extra death linked to the medication, said study author Dr. Sonal Singh of Wake Forest University's medical school.
The drugs are taken to relax muscles and open airways in the lungs.
The researchers analyzed data from 17 international studies involving more than 14,700 people to compare health risks of people who took the drugs to treat symptoms of COPD to those who took other inhaled medications for the same symptoms or a placebo. ...more
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
India's Ranbaxy hit by reports of Canada drug review
From AFP:
Shares of Indian generics giant Ranbaxy hit an 18-month low Tuesday on reports Canada was looking into the safety of the firm's drugs as well as on fears about its revenue outlook, analysts said.
Ranbaxy shares have been under pressure since the US Food and Drug Administration blocked imports of over 30 of the New Delhi-based company's drugs last week, saying they failed to meet manufacturing standards.
On Tuesday, India's business daily Mint quoted the Canadian health ministry as saying a "regulatory letter" was sent to Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Canada requesting an action plan and a response to the FDA's move.
The company, which is being bought by Japan's Daiichi Sankyo in a deal valued at up to 4.6 billion dollars, closed down 11.05 percent or 38.35 rupees at 308.85 rupees, its lowest level since March 2007.
"We're not responding to any media reports," said a spokesman for Ranbaxy when asked about the Canadian letter. ...more
Shares of Indian generics giant Ranbaxy hit an 18-month low Tuesday on reports Canada was looking into the safety of the firm's drugs as well as on fears about its revenue outlook, analysts said.
Ranbaxy shares have been under pressure since the US Food and Drug Administration blocked imports of over 30 of the New Delhi-based company's drugs last week, saying they failed to meet manufacturing standards.
On Tuesday, India's business daily Mint quoted the Canadian health ministry as saying a "regulatory letter" was sent to Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Canada requesting an action plan and a response to the FDA's move.
The company, which is being bought by Japan's Daiichi Sankyo in a deal valued at up to 4.6 billion dollars, closed down 11.05 percent or 38.35 rupees at 308.85 rupees, its lowest level since March 2007.
"We're not responding to any media reports," said a spokesman for Ranbaxy when asked about the Canadian letter. ...more
Forget your meds at home while travelling? Pharmacies, walk-in clinics can help
From the Canadian Press:
Talk about injecting some unwelcome anxiety into a holiday or business trip.
You go to Manhattan and your checked luggage heads to Moose Jaw - with your medication inside it. Or you arrive at your destination and realize the pill organizer you planned to pack is still sitting on your dresser back home. Or your trip gets extended and you don't have enough drugs to cover the extra time.
Arnie Salmon, of Beechwood, N.B., knows too well the sinking feeling that comes with finding yourself in one of these scenarios.
Salmon, 47, takes two pills daily to control his blood pressure. Early this year he set off for Slave Lake, Alta., to take a job working on a pipeline. Snowstorms turned Salmon's journey into a marathon, forcing layovers in Montreal, Toronto and Saskatoon.
Some 40 hours later, Salmon finally arrived in Edmonton. But his suitcases did not. Unfortunately, Salmon had packed his medication in his checked luggage, figuring in the post 9-11 world he wouldn't be allowed to carry them onboard. ...more
Talk about injecting some unwelcome anxiety into a holiday or business trip.
You go to Manhattan and your checked luggage heads to Moose Jaw - with your medication inside it. Or you arrive at your destination and realize the pill organizer you planned to pack is still sitting on your dresser back home. Or your trip gets extended and you don't have enough drugs to cover the extra time.
Arnie Salmon, of Beechwood, N.B., knows too well the sinking feeling that comes with finding yourself in one of these scenarios.
Salmon, 47, takes two pills daily to control his blood pressure. Early this year he set off for Slave Lake, Alta., to take a job working on a pipeline. Snowstorms turned Salmon's journey into a marathon, forcing layovers in Montreal, Toronto and Saskatoon.
Some 40 hours later, Salmon finally arrived in Edmonton. But his suitcases did not. Unfortunately, Salmon had packed his medication in his checked luggage, figuring in the post 9-11 world he wouldn't be allowed to carry them onboard. ...more
First batch of AIDS meds leaves for Africa
From the Winnipeg Sun:
The first batch of Canadian-made AIDS drugs will leave for Africa this week, four years after the federal government established a program to get cheaper medications into the hands of patients in poor countries.
The shipment from generic drug giant Apotex Inc., will likely start its journey to Rwanda on Wednesday.
Apotex says it plans to send another batch of medication to Africa next year, but says the company won’t participate in the program any more until the government fixes laws that have left the initiative bogged down in red tape.
Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime was passed in 2004 with much fanfare and heralded internationally as an opportunity for Canada to be a major player in the global fight against disease in poor countries.
The government promised access to first-world therapies at reduced prices by getting brand-name pharmaceutical firms to negotiate with generic drug makers and allow the generics to manufacture cheaper AIDS drugs. ...more
The first batch of Canadian-made AIDS drugs will leave for Africa this week, four years after the federal government established a program to get cheaper medications into the hands of patients in poor countries.
The shipment from generic drug giant Apotex Inc., will likely start its journey to Rwanda on Wednesday.
Apotex says it plans to send another batch of medication to Africa next year, but says the company won’t participate in the program any more until the government fixes laws that have left the initiative bogged down in red tape.
Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime was passed in 2004 with much fanfare and heralded internationally as an opportunity for Canada to be a major player in the global fight against disease in poor countries.
The government promised access to first-world therapies at reduced prices by getting brand-name pharmaceutical firms to negotiate with generic drug makers and allow the generics to manufacture cheaper AIDS drugs. ...more
Monday, September 22, 2008
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
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
McCain, Obama rethink drug reimportation: aides
From Reuters:
U.S. presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain are reviewing their support for allowing individuals to import cheaper prescription drugs in light of tainted medicines and other goods made in other countries, their advisers said on Thursday.
Reimportation, as the practice is known, has been controversial for years, even as some supporters have arranged trips to Canada and Mexico for patients to stock up on cheaper medications.
But recent scares involving chemical-laced batches of baby formula and the blood thinner heparin -- both made in China -- have raised new concerns that safely bringing in additional medical products from overseas could be tougher than expected.
"Both candidates were in favor of reimportation and sort of subsequent to the heparin incident (there's) a lot less enthusiasm," said Dora Hughes, a health policy adviser to Democratic candidate Obama. ...more
U.S. presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain are reviewing their support for allowing individuals to import cheaper prescription drugs in light of tainted medicines and other goods made in other countries, their advisers said on Thursday.
Reimportation, as the practice is known, has been controversial for years, even as some supporters have arranged trips to Canada and Mexico for patients to stock up on cheaper medications.
But recent scares involving chemical-laced batches of baby formula and the blood thinner heparin -- both made in China -- have raised new concerns that safely bringing in additional medical products from overseas could be tougher than expected.
"Both candidates were in favor of reimportation and sort of subsequent to the heparin incident (there's) a lot less enthusiasm," said Dora Hughes, a health policy adviser to Democratic candidate Obama. ...more
Utah justices: Pharmacists could be negligent if they dispense withdrawn drugs
From the Salt Lake Tribune:
Utah pharmacists could be considered negligent for dispensing drugs that have been withdrawn from the market, the Utah Supreme Court said in an opinion Tuesday, opening the possibility their job duties will be redefined in a trial court.
The court revived a 2004 lawsuit that accused Hyland Pharmacy in Salt Lake City of negligence. Third District Judge Tyrone E. Medley had dismissed the case in 2006.
In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began receiving reports of valvular heart disease and pulmonary hypertension in people who had been using for long periods of time the appetite suppressant drug combination fen-phen - short for fenfluramine and phentermine.
By September of that year, the FDA asked the manufacturers of fenfluramine to voluntarily withdraw it from the market.
But patient Steve Downing, who began taking fen-phen in February 1996, continued to get his prescriptions for both drugs filled at Hyland through September 2000, according to the court's decision.
As a result, Downing suffered damage to his heart valves, said his Provo attorney, D. David Lambert, and he brought the negligence claims against Hyland. ...more
Utah pharmacists could be considered negligent for dispensing drugs that have been withdrawn from the market, the Utah Supreme Court said in an opinion Tuesday, opening the possibility their job duties will be redefined in a trial court.
The court revived a 2004 lawsuit that accused Hyland Pharmacy in Salt Lake City of negligence. Third District Judge Tyrone E. Medley had dismissed the case in 2006.
In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began receiving reports of valvular heart disease and pulmonary hypertension in people who had been using for long periods of time the appetite suppressant drug combination fen-phen - short for fenfluramine and phentermine.
By September of that year, the FDA asked the manufacturers of fenfluramine to voluntarily withdraw it from the market.
But patient Steve Downing, who began taking fen-phen in February 1996, continued to get his prescriptions for both drugs filled at Hyland through September 2000, according to the court's decision.
As a result, Downing suffered damage to his heart valves, said his Provo attorney, D. David Lambert, and he brought the negligence claims against Hyland. ...more
Doctors and pharmacists join smartcard critics
From E-Health Europe:
With its rollout coming closer, critics of the German smartcard project are once again becoming louder. Three regional political representative bodies of doctors, dentists and pharmacists are now supporting an anti-smartcard alliance.
The “Stoppt die e-Card” alliance was launched in January this year and is a rather diffuse conglomerate of civil rights organisations, regional interest groups and patient organisations, most notably the German AIDS-aid.
As a reaction to recent headlines about poor data privacy protection among health insurance companies, the alliance has stepped up pressure against the smartcard project.
And its latest statement has been publicly supported by the Kassenzahnärztliche Vereinigung Hamburg (KZVH), the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Hamburg (KVH) and the Apothekerkammer Hamburg. The KZVH represents all dentists in Hamburg. The KVH represents all doctors in private practice in Hamburg. And the Apothekerkammer is Hamburg’s chamber of pharmacists. ...more
With its rollout coming closer, critics of the German smartcard project are once again becoming louder. Three regional political representative bodies of doctors, dentists and pharmacists are now supporting an anti-smartcard alliance.
The “Stoppt die e-Card” alliance was launched in January this year and is a rather diffuse conglomerate of civil rights organisations, regional interest groups and patient organisations, most notably the German AIDS-aid.
As a reaction to recent headlines about poor data privacy protection among health insurance companies, the alliance has stepped up pressure against the smartcard project.
And its latest statement has been publicly supported by the Kassenzahnärztliche Vereinigung Hamburg (KZVH), the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Hamburg (KVH) and the Apothekerkammer Hamburg. The KZVH represents all dentists in Hamburg. The KVH represents all doctors in private practice in Hamburg. And the Apothekerkammer is Hamburg’s chamber of pharmacists. ...more
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Vioxx shows miracle drugs not always what they seem
From the Vancouver Sun:
If medications had personalities, Vioxx would be that macho guy in a Hummer who just took your parking space (and the one next to it), who then gets out, smiling and talking on his cellphone.
Touted as a "super aspirin," Vioxx was, for a time, the No. 1 pain medication in the world, backed by aggressive marketing to physicians and the public.
How it got to be "the single greatest drug safety catastrophe in the history of the world," in the words of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration official, is a fascinating story that's about to be told for the first time in a new book. Its author, Tom Nesi, is a medical industry insider, having been director of public affairs of the Squibb Corp., not far from the New Jersey headquarters of Merck & Co. Inc.
Merck's fortunes rose and fell on its superstar Vioxx, which had reached $2.5 billion in annual sales before being voluntarily withdrawn from the worldwide market on Sept. 30, 2004. That day, Dr. Peter Kim, then president of Merck Research Laboratories, announced that data from clinical trials "suggested an increased risk of confirmed cardiovascular events beginning after 18 months of continuous therapy." ...more
If medications had personalities, Vioxx would be that macho guy in a Hummer who just took your parking space (and the one next to it), who then gets out, smiling and talking on his cellphone.
Touted as a "super aspirin," Vioxx was, for a time, the No. 1 pain medication in the world, backed by aggressive marketing to physicians and the public.
How it got to be "the single greatest drug safety catastrophe in the history of the world," in the words of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration official, is a fascinating story that's about to be told for the first time in a new book. Its author, Tom Nesi, is a medical industry insider, having been director of public affairs of the Squibb Corp., not far from the New Jersey headquarters of Merck & Co. Inc.
Merck's fortunes rose and fell on its superstar Vioxx, which had reached $2.5 billion in annual sales before being voluntarily withdrawn from the worldwide market on Sept. 30, 2004. That day, Dr. Peter Kim, then president of Merck Research Laboratories, announced that data from clinical trials "suggested an increased risk of confirmed cardiovascular events beginning after 18 months of continuous therapy." ...more
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Canada lags in publicly funded drug spending, study finds
From CBC News:
Canada lags far behind most of the developed world when it comes to covering the cost of prescription drugs for seniors and low-income families, a study suggests.
The Wyatt Health International Comparison report, funded by pharmaceutical companies, ranks 18 countries on access to new drug therapies.
Canada ranked 17th in public spending on pharmaceuticals, behind Finland, Portugal, Australia and Denmark, the review found.
“It is surprising that Canada ranks so low in comparison to these OECD countries,” said George Wyatt, the report's author. “This study raises several questions about limited access to and choice of medicines."
The findings underscore the need for a publicly funded, national pharmaceutical plan, Wyatt said. The group received a grant from drug companies to do the study, which he said did not influence the research. ...more
Canada lags far behind most of the developed world when it comes to covering the cost of prescription drugs for seniors and low-income families, a study suggests.
The Wyatt Health International Comparison report, funded by pharmaceutical companies, ranks 18 countries on access to new drug therapies.
Canada ranked 17th in public spending on pharmaceuticals, behind Finland, Portugal, Australia and Denmark, the review found.
“It is surprising that Canada ranks so low in comparison to these OECD countries,” said George Wyatt, the report's author. “This study raises several questions about limited access to and choice of medicines."
The findings underscore the need for a publicly funded, national pharmaceutical plan, Wyatt said. The group received a grant from drug companies to do the study, which he said did not influence the research. ...more
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Dion vows $900-million for catastrophic drug plan
It was inevitable that one of the parties would promise a national pharmacare plan of some sort. This might have some appeal in the Atlantic provinces, which appears to be behind the rest of the country when it comes to providing a comprehensive provincial drug plan. However, this issue never really seems to go anywhere. I think it's because there isn't a huge demand for it among most Canadians, who typically have existing drug coverage through the government or their employer.
From the Globe and Mail:
Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion promised a national program to fund high-cost drug treatments for people who suffer from serious and chronic illnesses, a program aimed at extending coverage to provinces in Atlantic Canada that don't have provincial drug plans.
The Liberals said the plan would cost $900-million over four years, and ensure people in all provinces can afford expensive drugs like kidney-cancer treatments that can run as much as $7,000 per month.
Most Canadian provinces already have drug plans of some kinds, but the four Atlantic Canadian provinces have far less coverage, especially for middle-income people under 65. ...more
Pharmacies suspected of selling free samples
From CBC News:
The P.E.I. Pharmacy Board is looking for help from the public to find out if some pharmacies on the Island are selling for full price drugs that were provided as samples to doctors.
The doctors get the samples for free from drug companies. The pharmacy board hasn't been able to prove it, but board registrar Neila Auld has heard enough stories to convince her samples are being sold.
Auld told CBC News on Monday she wants the public to be aware of what to look for.
"They aren't supposed to be sold through pharmacies; they're supposed to be provided through physicians as a sample," said Auld.
"I think it's happening. I think it's happening here and I think it's happening elsewhere." ...more
The P.E.I. Pharmacy Board is looking for help from the public to find out if some pharmacies on the Island are selling for full price drugs that were provided as samples to doctors.
The doctors get the samples for free from drug companies. The pharmacy board hasn't been able to prove it, but board registrar Neila Auld has heard enough stories to convince her samples are being sold.
Auld told CBC News on Monday she wants the public to be aware of what to look for.
"They aren't supposed to be sold through pharmacies; they're supposed to be provided through physicians as a sample," said Auld.
"I think it's happening. I think it's happening here and I think it's happening elsewhere." ...more
Shoppers Drug Mart targets 50 new stores a year
From Reuters:
Shoppers Drug Mart expects to boost its real estate portfolio across Canada by at least 10 percent over the next five years, both by expanding existing stores and building new ones, its chief executive said on Tuesday.
Canada's biggest pharmacy chain expects to open at least 50 new stores during that period, Jurgen Schreiber, president and CEO, told an industry conference.
The company, which opened with one store in 1962, currently operates more than 1,110 stores under the Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix banners.
Schreiber said there is considerable room to expand in Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, where there is one store for every 60,000 people. This compares with an average of 24,000 people per store in Ontario. ...more
Shoppers Drug Mart expects to boost its real estate portfolio across Canada by at least 10 percent over the next five years, both by expanding existing stores and building new ones, its chief executive said on Tuesday.
Canada's biggest pharmacy chain expects to open at least 50 new stores during that period, Jurgen Schreiber, president and CEO, told an industry conference.
The company, which opened with one store in 1962, currently operates more than 1,110 stores under the Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix banners.
Schreiber said there is considerable room to expand in Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, where there is one store for every 60,000 people. This compares with an average of 24,000 people per store in Ontario. ...more
That's a mountain to climb
From the Vancouver Province:
History is full of leaders and thinkers who have experienced world-changing visions at the summit of peaks from the Alps to the Himalayas.
Pharmasave Drugs boss Sue Paish may be the world's first CEO to seek visions half-way up a notoriously awful mountain trail, hundreds of lung-busting metres shy of the top.
Paish, 50, puts in long hours at the office, in the boardroom and on the road meeting her Langley-based company's owner-members.
She does some of her best thinking, however, scrambling up the Grouse Grind -- the steep, 853-metre path up Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver.
Schedule permitting, Paish climbs the Grind five times a week. Don't press her to reveal how many minutes she takes to do the climb. ...more
History is full of leaders and thinkers who have experienced world-changing visions at the summit of peaks from the Alps to the Himalayas.
Pharmasave Drugs boss Sue Paish may be the world's first CEO to seek visions half-way up a notoriously awful mountain trail, hundreds of lung-busting metres shy of the top.
Paish, 50, puts in long hours at the office, in the boardroom and on the road meeting her Langley-based company's owner-members.
She does some of her best thinking, however, scrambling up the Grouse Grind -- the steep, 853-metre path up Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver.
Schedule permitting, Paish climbs the Grind five times a week. Don't press her to reveal how many minutes she takes to do the climb. ...more
Generic medicine shortage causing hardship for many
From the Weekend Post (South Africa):
A crippling shortage of generic medicine in the Eastern and Southern Cape is a bitter pill for consumers to swallow, with many now having to pay up to 2000 per cent more for original medication that would normally have cost a fraction of the price.
National pharmaceutical companies and generic medicine manufacturers say the shortage has come in the wake of the Beijing Olympics and the subsequent Paralympics.
China, the largest producer of bulk pharmaceutical chemicals in the world, temporarily stopped chemical production in Beijing during the build-up to the Games.
According to the department of trade and industry, South Africa imports nearly 100% of its raw pharmaceutical ingredients from China.
The production halt, which lasted more than a month, has caused havoc for pharmacists in the Eastern and Southern Cape, who‘ve had to bear the brunt of patients‘ frustration. ...more
A crippling shortage of generic medicine in the Eastern and Southern Cape is a bitter pill for consumers to swallow, with many now having to pay up to 2000 per cent more for original medication that would normally have cost a fraction of the price.
National pharmaceutical companies and generic medicine manufacturers say the shortage has come in the wake of the Beijing Olympics and the subsequent Paralympics.
China, the largest producer of bulk pharmaceutical chemicals in the world, temporarily stopped chemical production in Beijing during the build-up to the Games.
According to the department of trade and industry, South Africa imports nearly 100% of its raw pharmaceutical ingredients from China.
The production halt, which lasted more than a month, has caused havoc for pharmacists in the Eastern and Southern Cape, who‘ve had to bear the brunt of patients‘ frustration. ...more
Patients at care homes get pills they don’t need
From the Belfast Telegraph:
Over half of nursing home patients in Northern Ireland are prescribed inappropriate drugs for sedation when there is no medical need, research claimed today.
The study launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester, found some 51% of nursing home patients are taking inappropriate psychoactive drugs.
The BPC said psychotropic medications have historically been used in nursing homes to sedate residents with no clinical need, including night-time sedation.
A psychoactive drug, or psychotropic substance, acts mainly on the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behaviour.
Two pharmacy studies in Northern Ireland have focused on these drugs after the implementation of an adapted US model of pharmaceutical care, called The Fleetwood Northern Ireland Model. It takes a wider look at care in a nursing home setting and the impact of direct intervention from pharmacists. ...more
Over half of nursing home patients in Northern Ireland are prescribed inappropriate drugs for sedation when there is no medical need, research claimed today.
The study launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester, found some 51% of nursing home patients are taking inappropriate psychoactive drugs.
The BPC said psychotropic medications have historically been used in nursing homes to sedate residents with no clinical need, including night-time sedation.
A psychoactive drug, or psychotropic substance, acts mainly on the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behaviour.
Two pharmacy studies in Northern Ireland have focused on these drugs after the implementation of an adapted US model of pharmaceutical care, called The Fleetwood Northern Ireland Model. It takes a wider look at care in a nursing home setting and the impact of direct intervention from pharmacists. ...more
Monday, September 15, 2008
Prescription drug abuse grows
From the Nanaimo (BC) Daily News:
A longtime Nanaimo pharmacist says prescription drug abuse is so bad, some clients are only allowed a daily dose that they must consume before they leave.
The pharmacy fears the pills will end up on the streets.
Police do not know how widespread such prescription drug abuse is in Nanaimo, although they do not think the practice has declined. Police work within the medical industry to crack down on potential prescription drug abusers and high-risk individuals.
"Any time you have an increase in street level users there's going to be an issue," said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O'Brien.
Nanaimo's Clearview Centre reports a 50% increase (in the past year to 18 months) in clients detoxifying from prescription drugs. In Vancouver, Downtown Eastside health workers say pharmacists offer methadone users cash kickbacks to fill their prescriptions. ...more
A longtime Nanaimo pharmacist says prescription drug abuse is so bad, some clients are only allowed a daily dose that they must consume before they leave.
The pharmacy fears the pills will end up on the streets.
Police do not know how widespread such prescription drug abuse is in Nanaimo, although they do not think the practice has declined. Police work within the medical industry to crack down on potential prescription drug abusers and high-risk individuals.
"Any time you have an increase in street level users there's going to be an issue," said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O'Brien.
Nanaimo's Clearview Centre reports a 50% increase (in the past year to 18 months) in clients detoxifying from prescription drugs. In Vancouver, Downtown Eastside health workers say pharmacists offer methadone users cash kickbacks to fill their prescriptions. ...more
Clot buster may be given later for strokes: study
From CBC News:
Stroke patients can safely be given a clot dissolving drug within 4.5 hours, an extension of the conventional three-hour window, a European study suggests. The longer timeframe may help patients who can't reach a hospital quickly to access specialist care.
An ischemic stroke occurs when a clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain and cuts off circulation, potentially causing death or permanent disability. Doctors give a drug called tissue plasminogen activator or tPA by intravenous to dissolve clogs lodged in the brain to treat the most common type of stroke.
Treatment guidelines in Canada, the U.S. and Europe set a three-hour time limit for giving tPA because of fears that it may cause dangerous bleeding or other complications.
Given safety concerns, European regulators requested further observational studies and a randomized clinical trial on tPA, also called alteplase.
In Monday's online issue of the medical journal The Lancet, Prof. Nils Wahlgren of the department of clinical neurosciences at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm and his colleagues reported no significant differences between subjects who were given the drug after three hours compared to four hours. ..more
Stroke patients can safely be given a clot dissolving drug within 4.5 hours, an extension of the conventional three-hour window, a European study suggests. The longer timeframe may help patients who can't reach a hospital quickly to access specialist care.
An ischemic stroke occurs when a clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain and cuts off circulation, potentially causing death or permanent disability. Doctors give a drug called tissue plasminogen activator or tPA by intravenous to dissolve clogs lodged in the brain to treat the most common type of stroke.
Treatment guidelines in Canada, the U.S. and Europe set a three-hour time limit for giving tPA because of fears that it may cause dangerous bleeding or other complications.
Given safety concerns, European regulators requested further observational studies and a randomized clinical trial on tPA, also called alteplase.
In Monday's online issue of the medical journal The Lancet, Prof. Nils Wahlgren of the department of clinical neurosciences at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm and his colleagues reported no significant differences between subjects who were given the drug after three hours compared to four hours. ..more
Thyroid drug alternative here
From the Otago (NZ) Daily Times:
An unsubsidised alternative to a controversial thyroid drug went into pharmacies throughout the country yesterday, on the eve of a Medsafe announcement on its progress in finding a replacement medicine.
At noon today, Medsafe will report on its moves to find another drug as an alternative to Eltroxin, which is used by an estimated 70,000 people in the country who suffer from an under-active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton said yesterday in Parliament an alternative would be available within a few weeks.
Two had been offered.
More than 830 reports of side effects from Eltroxin had been received by the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring in Dunedin since the formulation of the drug was changed last year, although the active component was not altered. ...more
An unsubsidised alternative to a controversial thyroid drug went into pharmacies throughout the country yesterday, on the eve of a Medsafe announcement on its progress in finding a replacement medicine.
At noon today, Medsafe will report on its moves to find another drug as an alternative to Eltroxin, which is used by an estimated 70,000 people in the country who suffer from an under-active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton said yesterday in Parliament an alternative would be available within a few weeks.
Two had been offered.
More than 830 reports of side effects from Eltroxin had been received by the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring in Dunedin since the formulation of the drug was changed last year, although the active component was not altered. ...more
Patent system seen stifling medical breakthroughs
From the Globe and Mail:
An outdated intellectual property system is preventing lifesaving medicines and cutting-edge technologies from reaching those who need them the most, a leading expert on patents asserted yesterday.
"If things don't change, we're going to all have fewer medicines to treat whatever the next diseases are," warned E. Richard Gold, director of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy at McGill University. "Not only will we not develop those drugs for cancer and heart ... but we won't get the innovative breakthrough drugs unless we change."
From communities in Brazil to corporate boardrooms, Dr. Gold and his team found an endemic mistrust among those involved in the patent system that is stifling innovation and preventing technology from entering the market and helping those in both developed and developing nations.
He and his colleagues presented their report, which was seven years in the making, to civil servants and industry observers in Ottawa yesterday.
The report found that the heavy-handed control on patents resulted in much controversy - and that change is needed. ...more
An outdated intellectual property system is preventing lifesaving medicines and cutting-edge technologies from reaching those who need them the most, a leading expert on patents asserted yesterday.
"If things don't change, we're going to all have fewer medicines to treat whatever the next diseases are," warned E. Richard Gold, director of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy at McGill University. "Not only will we not develop those drugs for cancer and heart ... but we won't get the innovative breakthrough drugs unless we change."
From communities in Brazil to corporate boardrooms, Dr. Gold and his team found an endemic mistrust among those involved in the patent system that is stifling innovation and preventing technology from entering the market and helping those in both developed and developing nations.
He and his colleagues presented their report, which was seven years in the making, to civil servants and industry observers in Ottawa yesterday.
The report found that the heavy-handed control on patents resulted in much controversy - and that change is needed. ...more
U.S. posts drugs under safety probe
The FDA Top 20 watch list is located here. Commonly used drugs on this list includes heparin, insulin, nitroglycerin, oxycodone, and quetiapine among others.
From CBC News:
Health officials in the U.S. on Friday began publishing a quarterly list of prescription drugs under investigation for potential side-effects, with the aim of keeping doctors and patients better informed.
The drugs are under review based on complaints from the public. Inclusion on the list does not mean the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has concluded the drug is dangerous, officials stressed, but that safety reviewers think the reported problem needs to be looked at more closely.
The first report of 20 drugs under review was released Friday. All of the drugs, except one, are approved for use in Canada. Health Canada's website includes similar warnings about the drugs.
"My message to patients is this: Don't stop taking your medicine," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, who heads the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
"If your doctor has prescribed a drug that appears on this list, you should continue taking it unless your doctor advises you differently." ...more
New Law Lets Pharmacists Administer Flu Vaccinations
From the New York Times:
Gov. David A. Paterson signed legislation this week that will let pharmacists administer flu and pneumonia shots, a change expected to increase the number of adults vaccinated statewide.
Starting Dec. 4, New York pharmacists who complete state training and certification will be permitted to give the shots with a prescription from a physician or nurse practitioner. Three-year certifications will cost $100.
“Allowing pharmacists to immunize would increase access to vaccinations, as pharmacies are open long hours, on weekends and most holidays,” said Senator Charles J. Fuschillo Jr., a Long Island Republican who sponsored the bill.
State records showed 20,303 state-licensed pharmacists at the start of 2008, with 16,219 listing primary mailing addresses in New York.
In their memo supporting the bill, Assembly sponsors said that every other state except Maine already allowed the vaccinations, and that studies showed adult immunization rates for annual flu shots improved significantly after such a change. In New York City alone, some health experts said, the measure could increase the number of elderly residents who get the shots by 50,000 or more. ...more
Gov. David A. Paterson signed legislation this week that will let pharmacists administer flu and pneumonia shots, a change expected to increase the number of adults vaccinated statewide.
Starting Dec. 4, New York pharmacists who complete state training and certification will be permitted to give the shots with a prescription from a physician or nurse practitioner. Three-year certifications will cost $100.
“Allowing pharmacists to immunize would increase access to vaccinations, as pharmacies are open long hours, on weekends and most holidays,” said Senator Charles J. Fuschillo Jr., a Long Island Republican who sponsored the bill.
State records showed 20,303 state-licensed pharmacists at the start of 2008, with 16,219 listing primary mailing addresses in New York.
In their memo supporting the bill, Assembly sponsors said that every other state except Maine already allowed the vaccinations, and that studies showed adult immunization rates for annual flu shots improved significantly after such a change. In New York City alone, some health experts said, the measure could increase the number of elderly residents who get the shots by 50,000 or more. ...more
Self Service: A prescription for convenience
From Self Service:
When Don Waugh, co-founder and chief executive of PCA Services in Oakville, Ontario, started his company two years ago, he envisioned an integrated self-service dispensing and medication-management system designed for pharmacies, hospitals, medical clinics and physicians' offices.
About six weeks ago, PCA, which provides hardware and software for drug-therapy dispensing and management, developed PharmaTrust, Canada's first point-of-care dispensor.
The PharmaTrust Dispensary, which debuted at Sunnybrook Health Services Centre in Toronto, will operate within Sunnybrook's pharmacy during a three-month trial period to evaluate patient experience. During the trial, a PharmaTrust pharmacist will process the prescriptions, verify each medication dispensed, and provide medication counseling to patients using the automation-assisted dispensary.
"Basically PharmaTrust does everything you expect to occur in a pharmacy," Waugh said.
The pharmacy customer enters his script in the machine, and after a barcode is recognized and keyed in by a pharmacist, the system confirms the patient, the medicine, the drug plan, the card number, the billing address, the co-pay and the payment preference. A robot picks the medicine and brings it to the dispensing area, where the medicine is labeled and issued to the patient. The customer also can receive counseling from a pharmacist via a telephone handset. ...more
When Don Waugh, co-founder and chief executive of PCA Services in Oakville, Ontario, started his company two years ago, he envisioned an integrated self-service dispensing and medication-management system designed for pharmacies, hospitals, medical clinics and physicians' offices.
About six weeks ago, PCA, which provides hardware and software for drug-therapy dispensing and management, developed PharmaTrust, Canada's first point-of-care dispensor.
The PharmaTrust Dispensary, which debuted at Sunnybrook Health Services Centre in Toronto, will operate within Sunnybrook's pharmacy during a three-month trial period to evaluate patient experience. During the trial, a PharmaTrust pharmacist will process the prescriptions, verify each medication dispensed, and provide medication counseling to patients using the automation-assisted dispensary.
"Basically PharmaTrust does everything you expect to occur in a pharmacy," Waugh said.
The pharmacy customer enters his script in the machine, and after a barcode is recognized and keyed in by a pharmacist, the system confirms the patient, the medicine, the drug plan, the card number, the billing address, the co-pay and the payment preference. A robot picks the medicine and brings it to the dispensing area, where the medicine is labeled and issued to the patient. The customer also can receive counseling from a pharmacist via a telephone handset. ...more
A Friendly Neighborhood Drugstore: UBC Students Design a Pharmacy for Women in Canada’s Toughest Neighborhood
From UBC Reports:
Call it a paradox of the Downtown Eastside.
The eight-block area has more pharmacies per capita than any other Vancouver neighborhood, but many female residents still leave to get their prescriptions filled.
According to Magali Bailey, a UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) graduate student, it boils down to a problem of design. The prescription, says Bailey and others from the neighborhood, is Canada’s first social enterprise pharmacy for women, which opens its doors next month thanks to the design and fundraising efforts of 13 UBC students.
“Most area pharmacies are better at dispensing methadone than health information, because that is how they have been designed,” says Bailey, noting that the jump in pharmacies coincided with the city’s heroin-replacement program launched in 1997.
With barred windows and pharmacists behind plexiglass, Downtown Eastside (DTES) pharmacies are worlds away from London Drugs or Shoppers. Most are small and provide little privacy to discuss health issues, a major drawback as pharmacists are many residents’ primary -- and sometimes only -- link to the health care system.
“Many residents, especially women, looking for health information say they find existing pharmacies to be increasingly inhospitable,” says Bailey, who has been studying DTES pharmacies since 2007, when her professor Inge Roecker was approached by the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Women’s Health Collective (VWHC) to design a centre for women’s health and wellness.
The result is Lu’s Pharmacy for Women, a culmination of SALA’s first community service learning (CSL) initiative. CSL is a teaching model that offers students opportunities for civic engagement through volunteer service and academic work. UBC’s goal is to engage 10 per cent of the university’s students in CSL each year. ...more
Call it a paradox of the Downtown Eastside.
The eight-block area has more pharmacies per capita than any other Vancouver neighborhood, but many female residents still leave to get their prescriptions filled.
According to Magali Bailey, a UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) graduate student, it boils down to a problem of design. The prescription, says Bailey and others from the neighborhood, is Canada’s first social enterprise pharmacy for women, which opens its doors next month thanks to the design and fundraising efforts of 13 UBC students.
“Most area pharmacies are better at dispensing methadone than health information, because that is how they have been designed,” says Bailey, noting that the jump in pharmacies coincided with the city’s heroin-replacement program launched in 1997.
With barred windows and pharmacists behind plexiglass, Downtown Eastside (DTES) pharmacies are worlds away from London Drugs or Shoppers. Most are small and provide little privacy to discuss health issues, a major drawback as pharmacists are many residents’ primary -- and sometimes only -- link to the health care system.
“Many residents, especially women, looking for health information say they find existing pharmacies to be increasingly inhospitable,” says Bailey, who has been studying DTES pharmacies since 2007, when her professor Inge Roecker was approached by the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Women’s Health Collective (VWHC) to design a centre for women’s health and wellness.
The result is Lu’s Pharmacy for Women, a culmination of SALA’s first community service learning (CSL) initiative. CSL is a teaching model that offers students opportunities for civic engagement through volunteer service and academic work. UBC’s goal is to engage 10 per cent of the university’s students in CSL each year. ...more
Narcotics case a first for Nevada
From the Las Vegas Sun:
Nevada bartenders are not liable for customers who drive drunk, but should the same be true for pharmacists who provide pills to suspected drug addicts?
That’s the question in a first-of-its kind appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court.
Patricia Copening was under the influence of hydrocodone on June 4, 2004, when she slammed her Dodge Durango into Gregory Sanchez Jr. and Robert Martinez, who had pulled over to the side of the road to fix a flat tire. Sanchez died and Martinez was severely injured.
Copening served nine months in the Clark County Detention Center for the crime. Now, the families of the two men have sued Copening, the two doctors who supplied her the pills, and seven pharmacies that dispensed her medications. The pharmacies are liable, the victims’ attorney argues, because they continued to fill prescriptions even after being notified of Copening’s drug abuse.
Nevada was among the first states to track every prescription filled in the state for the purpose of reducing drug abuse. The state tracks the date, medication type, quantity and name of the patient, prescribing doctor and pharmacy.
Almost a year before the accident, on June 24, 2003, the Prescription Controlled Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force warned all the doctors and pharmacies that had supplied Copening that she may be a drug abuser. The letter to the pharmacists did not tell them what to do, but urged them to “use their professional expertise to assist patients who may be abusing controlled substances.”...more
Nevada bartenders are not liable for customers who drive drunk, but should the same be true for pharmacists who provide pills to suspected drug addicts?
That’s the question in a first-of-its kind appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court.
Patricia Copening was under the influence of hydrocodone on June 4, 2004, when she slammed her Dodge Durango into Gregory Sanchez Jr. and Robert Martinez, who had pulled over to the side of the road to fix a flat tire. Sanchez died and Martinez was severely injured.
Copening served nine months in the Clark County Detention Center for the crime. Now, the families of the two men have sued Copening, the two doctors who supplied her the pills, and seven pharmacies that dispensed her medications. The pharmacies are liable, the victims’ attorney argues, because they continued to fill prescriptions even after being notified of Copening’s drug abuse.
Nevada was among the first states to track every prescription filled in the state for the purpose of reducing drug abuse. The state tracks the date, medication type, quantity and name of the patient, prescribing doctor and pharmacy.
Almost a year before the accident, on June 24, 2003, the Prescription Controlled Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force warned all the doctors and pharmacies that had supplied Copening that she may be a drug abuser. The letter to the pharmacists did not tell them what to do, but urged them to “use their professional expertise to assist patients who may be abusing controlled substances.”...more
Friday, September 12, 2008
HSE may pay back €50m to pharmacies
From the Irish Times:
The Health Service Executive faces a potential bill of €50 million as a result of a High Court ruling yesterday that it was in breach of contract over a reduction in payments made to pharmacists for dispensing drugs under various State schemes.
The HSE said yesterday that it "may" have to pay back that sum which has been generated so far as a result of the reductions in payments to pharmacists.
The HSE had reduced the margin paid to pharmaceutical wholesalers from 17 per cent to 8 per cent in a bid to save €100 million. However, as it had no direct relationship with wholesalers, to achieve this aim it reduced the reimbursement it paid to pharmacists for dispensing drugs and medicines. The HSE argued that the 17 per cent margin was shared between wholesalers and pharmacists in the form of discounts.
The president of the Irish Pharmacy Union, Liz Hoctor, said yesterday it now expected the HSE to immediately reverse its decision to cut payments to pharmacists, which was imposed on March 1st, and to repay the money deducted.
The union, the representative body for over 1,800 pharmacists, welcomed the judgment of Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan in the case, which was taken by Hickey's Pharmacies. ...more
The Health Service Executive faces a potential bill of €50 million as a result of a High Court ruling yesterday that it was in breach of contract over a reduction in payments made to pharmacists for dispensing drugs under various State schemes.
The HSE said yesterday that it "may" have to pay back that sum which has been generated so far as a result of the reductions in payments to pharmacists.
The HSE had reduced the margin paid to pharmaceutical wholesalers from 17 per cent to 8 per cent in a bid to save €100 million. However, as it had no direct relationship with wholesalers, to achieve this aim it reduced the reimbursement it paid to pharmacists for dispensing drugs and medicines. The HSE argued that the 17 per cent margin was shared between wholesalers and pharmacists in the form of discounts.
The president of the Irish Pharmacy Union, Liz Hoctor, said yesterday it now expected the HSE to immediately reverse its decision to cut payments to pharmacists, which was imposed on March 1st, and to repay the money deducted.
The union, the representative body for over 1,800 pharmacists, welcomed the judgment of Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan in the case, which was taken by Hickey's Pharmacies. ...more
Doctors call methadone kickbacks a 'big problem'
From the Vancouver Province:
Addictions doctors in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have complained for months about pharmacists luring heroin addicts for their lucrative methadone prescriptions, and say rules around dispensing fees have to change.
"A lot of doctors have been frustrated by this," said Dr. Stan deVlaming, medical director for Inner City Primary Health Care for Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. "There have been numerous complaints spread over months for at least a year. . . It's a big problem, not a small one."
Heroin addicts prescribed methadone, which quells cravings, are getting kickbacks for filling their prescriptions at certain pharmacies, particularly in the Downtown Eastside and in Whalley's downtown in Surrey.
Offering incentives is against PharmaCare rules and the B.C. College of Pharmacists and B.C. Health are investigating. ...more
Addictions doctors in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have complained for months about pharmacists luring heroin addicts for their lucrative methadone prescriptions, and say rules around dispensing fees have to change.
"A lot of doctors have been frustrated by this," said Dr. Stan deVlaming, medical director for Inner City Primary Health Care for Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. "There have been numerous complaints spread over months for at least a year. . . It's a big problem, not a small one."
Heroin addicts prescribed methadone, which quells cravings, are getting kickbacks for filling their prescriptions at certain pharmacies, particularly in the Downtown Eastside and in Whalley's downtown in Surrey.
Offering incentives is against PharmaCare rules and the B.C. College of Pharmacists and B.C. Health are investigating. ...more
End of NI pharmacy deal swamps practices
From Healthcare Republic News:
GPs in Northern Ireland have been swamped with additional work after a deal for pharmacists to treat and prescribe for minor ailments collapsed.
LMCs warned the change could undermine attempts to cut unnecessary antibiotic prescribing.
GPC Northern Ireland chairman Dr Brian Dunn said that since the scheme ended at the start of August, GPs have seen a rise in attendances by patients with minor ailments.
Since 2005, the bulk of these patients had been redirected for treatment by 500 community pharmacists.
In Craigavon, where take-up of the service was high, Southern LMC secretary Dr Arnie McDowell said: 'The suspension of this valuable scheme creates pressures for us.' ...more
GPs in Northern Ireland have been swamped with additional work after a deal for pharmacists to treat and prescribe for minor ailments collapsed.
LMCs warned the change could undermine attempts to cut unnecessary antibiotic prescribing.
GPC Northern Ireland chairman Dr Brian Dunn said that since the scheme ended at the start of August, GPs have seen a rise in attendances by patients with minor ailments.
Since 2005, the bulk of these patients had been redirected for treatment by 500 community pharmacists.
In Craigavon, where take-up of the service was high, Southern LMC secretary Dr Arnie McDowell said: 'The suspension of this valuable scheme creates pressures for us.' ...more
ND telepharmacy project expands across country
From the Associated Press:
As recently as three years ago, many elderly residents in this part of southeastern North Dakota were forced to order their medications by mail.
These days, customers have a real drugstore and can talk to a real person about their health needs — albeit via the Internet.
Thanks to the virtual pharmacy system that has been tested on the frozen prairie, the days of walking down to the general store for prescription drugs are returning to rural America.
"It's perfect," said Jim Williams, a longtime Arthur resident. "You can walk down there and it's done in a few minutes."
Most telepharmacies are staffed with registered pharmacy technicians, who usually need about two years of schooling and earn about $15 an hour in North Dakota. Some registered nurses also have been trained for the job.
The pharmacy technicians use remote cameras to contact pharmacists in another location and show them the original signed prescription, computer-generated label, stock bottle where the pills are stored and the bottle the patient will take home. Once the prescription is approved, patients have a mandatory private consultation with pharmacists through real-time video and audio.
"We can do most of the things the pharmacists do except give professional advice," said Jennifer Joyce, the pharmacy technician in Arthur. Joyce knows all of her patients on a first-name basis. ...more
As recently as three years ago, many elderly residents in this part of southeastern North Dakota were forced to order their medications by mail.
These days, customers have a real drugstore and can talk to a real person about their health needs — albeit via the Internet.
Thanks to the virtual pharmacy system that has been tested on the frozen prairie, the days of walking down to the general store for prescription drugs are returning to rural America.
"It's perfect," said Jim Williams, a longtime Arthur resident. "You can walk down there and it's done in a few minutes."
Most telepharmacies are staffed with registered pharmacy technicians, who usually need about two years of schooling and earn about $15 an hour in North Dakota. Some registered nurses also have been trained for the job.
The pharmacy technicians use remote cameras to contact pharmacists in another location and show them the original signed prescription, computer-generated label, stock bottle where the pills are stored and the bottle the patient will take home. Once the prescription is approved, patients have a mandatory private consultation with pharmacists through real-time video and audio.
"We can do most of the things the pharmacists do except give professional advice," said Jennifer Joyce, the pharmacy technician in Arthur. Joyce knows all of her patients on a first-name basis. ...more
Rabies vaccines hit by supply problems
From the Edmonton Sun:
Public health authorities on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border are trying to reduce demand for rabies vaccine in the face of a serious supply problem expected to persist well into next year.
Supply limitations have officials scrambling to try to avoid what would be a public health nightmare — a shortage of a vaccine that literally means the difference between life and death for people truly exposed to the rabies virus.
“The rabies vaccine supply is tight,” said Dr. John Spika, a senior official with the Public Health Agency of Canada. “We are concerned.”
The Public Health Agency has been exploring the possibility of sourcing vaccine from manufacturers not licensed to sell in Canada, said Spika, acting director general for the centre for immunization and respiratory infectious diseases. Unlicensed vaccine would have to be imported under a “special access” program for drugs and biological products.
In the United States, authorities have formed a working group to explore what options would be available should demand outstrip supply.
Proposals include using an alternative dose and ramping up control measures aimed at reducing rabies in wild animals, said Charles Rupprecht, chief of the rabies program at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Ga. ...more
Public health authorities on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border are trying to reduce demand for rabies vaccine in the face of a serious supply problem expected to persist well into next year.
Supply limitations have officials scrambling to try to avoid what would be a public health nightmare — a shortage of a vaccine that literally means the difference between life and death for people truly exposed to the rabies virus.
“The rabies vaccine supply is tight,” said Dr. John Spika, a senior official with the Public Health Agency of Canada. “We are concerned.”
The Public Health Agency has been exploring the possibility of sourcing vaccine from manufacturers not licensed to sell in Canada, said Spika, acting director general for the centre for immunization and respiratory infectious diseases. Unlicensed vaccine would have to be imported under a “special access” program for drugs and biological products.
In the United States, authorities have formed a working group to explore what options would be available should demand outstrip supply.
Proposals include using an alternative dose and ramping up control measures aimed at reducing rabies in wild animals, said Charles Rupprecht, chief of the rabies program at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Ga. ...more
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Walgreens seeks to stop S.F. tobacco ban
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Attorneys for Walgreens are seeking an emergency injunction to stop San Francisco from banning the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies.
In July, San Francisco became the first city in the nation to ban the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies such as Walgreens and Rite Aid, saying sick people getting their prescriptions filled shouldn't be faced with cancer-causing products sitting nearby.
But the ban, which is scheduled to take effect Oct. 1, doesn't extend to grocery stores or big-box stores that also have pharmacies. That's why the company wants the plan stopped, said Walgreens spokeswoman Tiffani Bruce.
"Our position is based solely on being fair across different types of retailers," she said, noting that smokers will just buy their cigarettes at another store down the block.
"Our pharmacists are trained to counsel smokers on smoking cessation products and how to go about kicking their habit," she added. "This ordinance will discourage smokers from coming to a place where they can have this type of access."
But Mitch Katz, director of the city's Department of Public Health, wasn't buying Walgreens' logic. ..more
Attorneys for Walgreens are seeking an emergency injunction to stop San Francisco from banning the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies.
In July, San Francisco became the first city in the nation to ban the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies such as Walgreens and Rite Aid, saying sick people getting their prescriptions filled shouldn't be faced with cancer-causing products sitting nearby.
But the ban, which is scheduled to take effect Oct. 1, doesn't extend to grocery stores or big-box stores that also have pharmacies. That's why the company wants the plan stopped, said Walgreens spokeswoman Tiffani Bruce.
"Our position is based solely on being fair across different types of retailers," she said, noting that smokers will just buy their cigarettes at another store down the block.
"Our pharmacists are trained to counsel smokers on smoking cessation products and how to go about kicking their habit," she added. "This ordinance will discourage smokers from coming to a place where they can have this type of access."
But Mitch Katz, director of the city's Department of Public Health, wasn't buying Walgreens' logic. ..more
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Provinces agree on need for national drug plan
From the Charlottetown Guardian:
Canadians facing life-threatening diseases need to know that they can afford the drugs being prescribed to them, says P.E.I. Health Minister Doug Currie.
Currie co-chaired a meeting of provincial health ministers Friday, which included Federal Health Minister Tony Clement, and all agreed that Canada needs a national catastrophic drug plan.
Prince Edward Island is one of only two provinces in Canada that doesn’t have a provincial plan to cover the costs of catastrophic drugs (those needed to sustain life).
But Currie said all health ministers agreed that it’s time to put a plan for national drug coverage, funded, of course, by the federal government back on the front burner. ...more
Canadians facing life-threatening diseases need to know that they can afford the drugs being prescribed to them, says P.E.I. Health Minister Doug Currie.
Currie co-chaired a meeting of provincial health ministers Friday, which included Federal Health Minister Tony Clement, and all agreed that Canada needs a national catastrophic drug plan.
Prince Edward Island is one of only two provinces in Canada that doesn’t have a provincial plan to cover the costs of catastrophic drugs (those needed to sustain life).
But Currie said all health ministers agreed that it’s time to put a plan for national drug coverage, funded, of course, by the federal government back on the front burner. ...more
Weekly diabetes drug provides better blood sugar control, spurs weight loss
From the Canadian Press:
A once-a-week injectable diabetes drug appears to lower blood sugar somewhat better than the same drug injected twice daily, creating promise that the new formulation may be a more useful part of a Type 2 diabetes control regime, a new study suggests.
The drug, exenatide, also has the advantage of triggering modest weight loss - an average of just over 3.5 kilograms - in people taking it, making it the only available diabetes drug to do so. While some diabetes drugs are "weight neutral," most cause weight gain, which can complicate diabetes control and undermine a person's willingness to take their medication.
The results of the study were published Monday by the journal The Lancet to coincide with their release at a scientific meeting in Rome.
Lead author Dr. Daniel Drucker, from Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, was attending the meeting and was not available for interview. But one of his co-investigators expressed excitement at the results. ..more
A once-a-week injectable diabetes drug appears to lower blood sugar somewhat better than the same drug injected twice daily, creating promise that the new formulation may be a more useful part of a Type 2 diabetes control regime, a new study suggests.
The drug, exenatide, also has the advantage of triggering modest weight loss - an average of just over 3.5 kilograms - in people taking it, making it the only available diabetes drug to do so. While some diabetes drugs are "weight neutral," most cause weight gain, which can complicate diabetes control and undermine a person's willingness to take their medication.
The results of the study were published Monday by the journal The Lancet to coincide with their release at a scientific meeting in Rome.
Lead author Dr. Daniel Drucker, from Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, was attending the meeting and was not available for interview. But one of his co-investigators expressed excitement at the results. ..more
Pharmacies accused of paying kickbacks to drug addicts
From the Globe and Mail:
Pharmacies that offer cash incentives to drug addicts for their daily methadone prescriptions are under investigation by the B.C. College of Pharmacists and PharmaCare, the provincial government's drug-insurance plan.
“I can confirm that we have an active investigation … but I am not in a position to reveal any details,” Lori DeCou, a college spokesperson, said yesterday in an interview.
Bernadette Murphy, a spokesperson for PharmaCare, said the provincial agency was working with other authorities. “The investigation has been going on for some months,” she said.
Helen Weiss, who has been working at the Native Health Society Medical Centre for six years, said yesterday five or six pharmacies in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have posed problems for years.
Methadone is prescribed to addicts as a substitute for heroin. To ensure that the addicts consume the drug and do not resell it on the street, the pharmacists are expected to watch the addicts as they drink the methadone. ...more
Pharmacies that offer cash incentives to drug addicts for their daily methadone prescriptions are under investigation by the B.C. College of Pharmacists and PharmaCare, the provincial government's drug-insurance plan.
“I can confirm that we have an active investigation … but I am not in a position to reveal any details,” Lori DeCou, a college spokesperson, said yesterday in an interview.
Bernadette Murphy, a spokesperson for PharmaCare, said the provincial agency was working with other authorities. “The investigation has been going on for some months,” she said.
Helen Weiss, who has been working at the Native Health Society Medical Centre for six years, said yesterday five or six pharmacies in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have posed problems for years.
Methadone is prescribed to addicts as a substitute for heroin. To ensure that the addicts consume the drug and do not resell it on the street, the pharmacists are expected to watch the addicts as they drink the methadone. ...more
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Watch out for drug names that look, sound alike
I thought this was worth posting even though some of the drug names are not used in Canada. The message is still relevent. For example, Reminyl's name was unchanged in Canada. Also, Klonopin was named Rivotril in Canada.
From the Associated Press:
Take the generic drug clonidine for high blood pressure? Double-check that you didn't leave the drugstore with Klonopin for seizures, or the gout medicine colchicine.
Mixing up drug names because they look or sound alike — like this trio — is among the most common types of medical mistakes, and it can be deadly. Now new efforts are aiming to stem the confusion, and make patients more aware of the risk.
Nearly 1,500 commonly used drugs have names so similar to at least one other medication that they've already caused mix-ups, says a major study by the U.S. Pharmacopeia, which helps set drug standards and promote patient safety.
Last week the influential group opened a Web-based tool to let consumers and doctors easily check if they're using or prescribing any of these error-prone drugs, and what they might confuse it with. Try to spell or pronounce a few on the site — http://www.usp.org — and it's easy to see how mistakes can happen. Did you mean the painkiller Celebrex or the antidepressant Celexa? ...more
Prices of patented drugs set to decline
I was under the impression that most prescription medications were relatively cheaper in South Africa. However, this does not appear to be the case as their government is mandating lower prices based on comparisons with four other countries, one of which is Canada.
From the Business Report (South Africa):
Half of the originator medicines available in South Africa should be cheaper by February, which is the deadline for complying with interim international benchmarking prices.
Anban Pillay, the head of pricing at the department of health, said yesterday that half of these drugs were more expensive locally than in Spain, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, the four countries against which South Africa is being benchmarked.
Pillay said the four countries had been chosen because they had pricing systems that ensured the viability of pharmaceutical companies while offering their citizens affordable medicines.
"They also have respect for intellectual property, which is important," he said.
Pillay said the differences in price ranged between 10 percent and 50 percent. The sums consumers could save would be known in about a month.
The government has published a notice detailing the methodology to be used when benchmarking patented medicines. Interested parties have 30 days to comment.
Pillay said not all drug prices would come down. "About half of the drugs sold in our market are more expensive than in those countries, so about half will be [affected]." ...more
Security rules rile physicians, pharmacists
From the Pittsburgh Tribune Review:
Many pharmacists and doctors see new regulations to make prescriptions more tamper-resistant as one more burden being placed on them for others' problems.
Jim Lynn of the Smithfield Pharmacy in Fayette County said the prescription changes that will take effect later this year are an example of "more legislation, more scrutiny (on the medical professionals), as if it's our problem."
Starting Oct. 1, the federal government is requiring that prescription pads have three safety features to reduce the chances of patients forging prescriptions and to save the government money. The features are designed to make it more difficult to copy, erase or modify the prescription. ...more
Many pharmacists and doctors see new regulations to make prescriptions more tamper-resistant as one more burden being placed on them for others' problems.
Jim Lynn of the Smithfield Pharmacy in Fayette County said the prescription changes that will take effect later this year are an example of "more legislation, more scrutiny (on the medical professionals), as if it's our problem."
Starting Oct. 1, the federal government is requiring that prescription pads have three safety features to reduce the chances of patients forging prescriptions and to save the government money. The features are designed to make it more difficult to copy, erase or modify the prescription. ...more
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
National plan for exotic drugs unlikely: minister
From the Calgary Herald:
Canadians who suffer from rare diseases are calling for a long-awaited national orphan drug strategy as provincial health ministers gather in Quebec City this week, but Alberta's minister is not optimistic they will reach a deal.
Groups like the Canadian Association of Pompe, which represents patients with an unusual neuromuscular condition, said Tuesday the ministers must come to an agreement because patients can't afford the pricey medications for their diseases.
"When you're looking at a rare disease, time is life . . . they go downhill without the treatment," said Linda Pare, the Innisfail-based secretary of the association, whose son suffers from the condition.
Orphan drugs are pharmaceuticals for unusual conditions that often come with enormous price tags, costing as much as $1 million a year.
Alberta Health Minister Ron Liepert agreed a national strategy for drugs to treat rare diseases is important, particularly as the province moves ahead with developing a new pharmaceutical policy. ...more
Canadians who suffer from rare diseases are calling for a long-awaited national orphan drug strategy as provincial health ministers gather in Quebec City this week, but Alberta's minister is not optimistic they will reach a deal.
Groups like the Canadian Association of Pompe, which represents patients with an unusual neuromuscular condition, said Tuesday the ministers must come to an agreement because patients can't afford the pricey medications for their diseases.
"When you're looking at a rare disease, time is life . . . they go downhill without the treatment," said Linda Pare, the Innisfail-based secretary of the association, whose son suffers from the condition.
Orphan drugs are pharmaceuticals for unusual conditions that often come with enormous price tags, costing as much as $1 million a year.
Alberta Health Minister Ron Liepert agreed a national strategy for drugs to treat rare diseases is important, particularly as the province moves ahead with developing a new pharmaceutical policy. ...more
Shoppers’ beauty stores raise eyebrows
After a really successful run, could this be a misstep by Shoppers Drug Mart? I'm not a financial expert, but I don't really see these stores catching on. If you want to buy cosmetics from Shoppers Drug Mart, why wouldn't you just go to the nearest existing Shoppers location? They seem to be everywhere already.
From the Financial Post:
Beauty has a new name at Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. - "Murale."
The largest drug store chain in Canada has unveiled the name of its newest store concept, whose first stores will open in Ottawa and Montreal in November.
"Murale is a beauty masterpiece that will give access to the most innovative and leading beauty products, services, consultation, and advice," said Jurgen Schreiber, chief executive of Shoppers.
The company said in a statement that the name Murale "is distinctive, expressive and highly suggestive of art and beauty". Shoppers first announced that it would open stand-alone cosmetic boutiques at the annual general meeting of shareholders this year.
The stores, which will compete with standalone specialty beauty chains such as Sephora, will carry dermatological skin care and luxury beauty items and fragrances. ...more
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Newer Blood Pressure Drug Better for Some Heart Patients, Diabetics
From the Washington Post:
A new study offers a possible alternative to heart patients and diabetics who need to keep their blood pressure under control but who cannot tolerate the standard treatment of ACE inhibitors.
Reporting at the European Society of Cardiology in Munich on Sunday, Canadian researchers said they found that the angiogenesis-receptor blocker (ARB) known as telmisartan worked well for the 20 percent of patients with vascular disease and high-risk diabetes who can't take ACE inhibitors. The study was released in the Aug. 31 online issue of The Lancet to coincide with the meeting presentation.
In the randomized, controlled trial, almost 6,000 patients with vascular disease or high-risk diabetes took either telmisartan or a placebo, and were followed for almost five years. Rates of death, heart attack, stroke or hospitalization for heart failure were tracked as primary outcome measures during the study period.
ad_icon
Mean blood pressure was lower in the telmisartan group by 4.0/2.2 mm/Hg, and there was a relative risk reduction of 13.3 percent for those taking telmisartan. Fewer patients on the medication wound up in the hospital for cardiovascular problems (30.3 percent), compared to those on placebo (33 percent). ...more
A new study offers a possible alternative to heart patients and diabetics who need to keep their blood pressure under control but who cannot tolerate the standard treatment of ACE inhibitors.
Reporting at the European Society of Cardiology in Munich on Sunday, Canadian researchers said they found that the angiogenesis-receptor blocker (ARB) known as telmisartan worked well for the 20 percent of patients with vascular disease and high-risk diabetes who can't take ACE inhibitors. The study was released in the Aug. 31 online issue of The Lancet to coincide with the meeting presentation.
In the randomized, controlled trial, almost 6,000 patients with vascular disease or high-risk diabetes took either telmisartan or a placebo, and were followed for almost five years. Rates of death, heart attack, stroke or hospitalization for heart failure were tracked as primary outcome measures during the study period.
ad_icon
Mean blood pressure was lower in the telmisartan group by 4.0/2.2 mm/Hg, and there was a relative risk reduction of 13.3 percent for those taking telmisartan. Fewer patients on the medication wound up in the hospital for cardiovascular problems (30.3 percent), compared to those on placebo (33 percent). ...more
Study says direct-to-consumer drug advertising not that effective
From the Canadian Press:
Drug advertisements aimed at consumers may not be having the effect on sales that opponents and proponents of the practice assume they do, a new study suggests.
The analysis, by researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of Alberta, looked at Canadian sales data for three drugs that were heavily advertised in the United States, ads which Canadians watching U.S. television would have seen.
The researchers found no evidence of a spike in sales for two of the drugs after the TV ads started to run. There was a marked increase in sales for a third drug but the effect was short-lived.
"I think that we've shown that the effects are pretty unimpressive for the three drugs we've looked at," said Harvard professor Stephen Soumerai, the senior author.
"Two out of three there isn't an ounce of effect."
The study was published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal's online edition. The authors say it is the first to actually test for evidence of an impact of drug ads by using what's called a control group. ...more
Drug advertisements aimed at consumers may not be having the effect on sales that opponents and proponents of the practice assume they do, a new study suggests.
The analysis, by researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of Alberta, looked at Canadian sales data for three drugs that were heavily advertised in the United States, ads which Canadians watching U.S. television would have seen.
The researchers found no evidence of a spike in sales for two of the drugs after the TV ads started to run. There was a marked increase in sales for a third drug but the effect was short-lived.
"I think that we've shown that the effects are pretty unimpressive for the three drugs we've looked at," said Harvard professor Stephen Soumerai, the senior author.
"Two out of three there isn't an ounce of effect."
The study was published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal's online edition. The authors say it is the first to actually test for evidence of an impact of drug ads by using what's called a control group. ...more
HPV vaccine shows higher rate of anaphylaxis: study
From CTV News:
The human papilomavirus (HPV) vaccine is up to 20 times more likely than other school-based vaccines to cause anaphylaxis, according to a study released Monday.
Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, nausea and rashes, but can be treated easily if identified early.
Last year Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland launched HPV vaccination programs in schools, and more provinces are slated to begin programs in September. The massive campaign has had some parents asking questions about the safety of the vaccine.
The Australian rate of anaphylaxis in women following HPV vaccination is 2.6 per 100,000 doses. For most other vaccines the rate is 1 per million.
Dr. Julia Brotherton, lead author of the study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, said some women may be allergic to the vaccine components. So far researchers haven't found which parts of the vaccine are causing the reactions. ...more
The human papilomavirus (HPV) vaccine is up to 20 times more likely than other school-based vaccines to cause anaphylaxis, according to a study released Monday.
Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, nausea and rashes, but can be treated easily if identified early.
Last year Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland launched HPV vaccination programs in schools, and more provinces are slated to begin programs in September. The massive campaign has had some parents asking questions about the safety of the vaccine.
The Australian rate of anaphylaxis in women following HPV vaccination is 2.6 per 100,000 doses. For most other vaccines the rate is 1 per million.
Dr. Julia Brotherton, lead author of the study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, said some women may be allergic to the vaccine components. So far researchers haven't found which parts of the vaccine are causing the reactions. ...more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)