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Community pharmacy, also known as retail pharmacy, is the most common type of pharmacy that allows the public access to their medications and advice about their health. Traditionally known as a chemist, it is the healthcare facility that is responsible for the provision of pharmaceutical service to a specific community group or region.

The Population Health Complex to improve the health of all New Zealanders

Research teams dedicated to improving the health of all New Zealanders now have a new home at The University of Auckland’s Population Health Complex. The new purpose-built complex is located at the University’s Tamaki Campus, which is distinguished by its collaborative, inter-disciplinary, and research-intensive profile.

11 Jun 2004

UK pharmacists to become more hands on

Pharmacists already help in areas such as stopping smoking, sexual health advice and substance misuse. The government would like them to do even more and get involved in aspects of care such as checking people's blood pressure and even measuring blood glucose.

11 Jun 2004

Common weeds may be better than herbal cousins for preventing and curing a host of diseases

Unwanted, pulled or poisoned, the lowly weed is sometimes better than its highly touted “herbal” cousins for preventing and curing a host of diseases, according to University of Florida research.

10 Jun 2004

Higher generic drug use in 2003 slowed the rising cost per prescription to a 7.9% increase

Generic drug use increased to a record 48% among Express Scripts' 50 million members during 2003, spurred by the use of several prominent new generics, fluoxetine, omeprazole and lisinopril.

9 Jun 2004

Lovastatin and Simvastatin have a significantly reduced risk of prostate cancer

Men who take even small amounts of common cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Lovastatin and Simvastatin have a significantly reduced risk of prostate cancer, according to a new study by Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers.

9 Jun 2004

Researchers win Kaye prize for gastro-retentive sustained release drug delivery system

Despite advances made in "sustained delivery" drug delivery technologies in recent years, a problem still persists in trying to obtain controlled release of a wide variety of medications that have only a "narrow absorption window" in the upper part of the intestines. That is, these drugs are absorbed rather quickly after being swallowed, negating the beneficial effects of "once-a-day" medication.

9 Jun 2004

Five major prescription drug manufacturers make drugs available to Medicare discount cardholders

The Pharmacy Care Alliance (PCA) today announced that AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Merck and Novartis will make many prescription drugs available to qualifying PCA Medicare discount cardholders free of charges from the manufacturer plus a nominal amount to cover dispensing, processing and other costs.

5 Jun 2004

New generation drug therapy targets the individual

The days of ‘one size fits all’ medicines may soon be a thing of the past for people undergoing radical drug therapies for chronic or serious illnesses.

5 Jun 2004

Democrats air their views on Medicare prescription drugs discount cards

On Tuesday the new Medicare prescription drugs discount cards went into effect. The enrollment process is so confusing, most seniors are not signing up for the cards. Those that have will quickly discover the cards don’t deliver the savings they were promised.

3 Jun 2004

Pharmacy Care Alliance gives out first prescription discounts

Early yesterday morning, two Medicare beneficiaries visited Kroger pharmacies in the Cincinnati area and received the first prescription discounts delivered by the Pharmacy Care Alliance under the Medicare prescription discount card program.

2 Jun 2004

Seniors take up Medicare-approved drug discount card in mass

Walgreen Co. has announced that tens of thousands of seniors across the country have applied for the company's Walgreens Health Initiatives Medicare-approved drug discount card.

2 Jun 2004

Level of smoking by undergraduate female nursing students is higher than that of the general population

Twenty four per cent of them smoked compared with 18 per cent recorded in government figures for Australian females as a whole. (Among male nursing students the figure was 18.9 per cent compared with 21.1 per cent in the rest of the population.)

26 May 2004

Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) - an alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

Throughout the course of a woman's life she may experience many hormone related symptoms or problems, including premenstrual syndrome, hot flashes, unexplained mood swings, osteoporosis, weight gain and low libido. Many of these symptoms are caused by hormonal imbalances, often from menopause.

25 May 2004

Medicare Drug Discount Card pricing is lower than internet and mail-order pharmacy prices

A new study by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) found that prices available from Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards are lower than current Internet and mail-order pharmacy prices.

24 May 2004

Innovative new cancer drug enters the first phase of clinical trials

An innovative drug with a new mechanism of action that may be effective against a range of cancers will enter the first phase of clinical trials, it was announced today (Monday) at Cancer Research UK's Senior Researchers Meeting.

24 May 2004

Fifteen Australian lives were saved in one month as a result of pharmacists intervening in medicine management

The study, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, also revealed that 88 pharmacist interventions reduced the length of patient stays in hospital and 156 interventions reduced the potential for the patient to be readmitted to hospital.

24 May 2004

Increases in co-payments may reduce the use of medications

Significant increases in co-payments may reduce the use of medications and raise concern about adverse health consequences, according to a study published in the May 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

22 May 2004

Craig Fuller of NACDS testifies on Medicare-approved drug discount card program

Today, Craig Fuller, president and CEO of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), testified before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health on the Medicare prescription discount cards, the important role of pharmacies and lessons learned from the first two weeks of the Medicare-approved drug discount card program.

20 May 2004

CRT implantable defibrillators significantly reduce hospitalization rates and extend lives

Researchers at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center have announced the findings of a large-scale clinical trial for patients with late-stage heart failure. Results showed that cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) from implantable pacemaker-like devices or CRT combined with an implantable defibrillator (CRT-D), when used in addition to optimal drug therapy, reduced significantly the mortality and first hospitalization rate when compared to drug therapy alone. CRT-D also substantially lowered mortality.

19 May 2004

$600 credit and discounts help low income Medicare beneficiaries

Seven million Medicare beneficiaries who are eligible for low-income transitional assistance and additional discounts can see very large savings on their prescription drugs through their Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards.

19 May 2004

Pharmacy News and Research

Further Reading

The Population Health Complex to improve the health of all New Zealanders

UK pharmacists to become more hands on

Common weeds may be better than herbal cousins for preventing and curing a host of diseases

Higher generic drug use in 2003 slowed the rising cost per prescription to a 7.9% increase

Lovastatin and Simvastatin have a significantly reduced risk of prostate cancer

Researchers win Kaye prize for gastro-retentive sustained release drug delivery system

Five major prescription drug manufacturers make drugs available to Medicare discount cardholders

New generation drug therapy targets the individual

Democrats air their views on Medicare prescription drugs discount cards

Pharmacy Care Alliance gives out first prescription discounts

Seniors take up Medicare-approved drug discount card in mass

Level of smoking by undergraduate female nursing students is higher than that of the general population

Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) - an alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

Medicare Drug Discount Card pricing is lower than internet and mail-order pharmacy prices

Innovative new cancer drug enters the first phase of clinical trials

Fifteen Australian lives were saved in one month as a result of pharmacists intervening in medicine management

Increases in co-payments may reduce the use of medications

Craig Fuller of NACDS testifies on Medicare-approved drug discount card program

CRT implantable defibrillators significantly reduce hospitalization rates and extend lives

$600 credit and discounts help low income Medicare beneficiaries

Pittcon Highlights: Pharmaceutical & Biologic eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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