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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.

AstraZeneca launches ARIMIDEX Direct to help cancer patients

AstraZeneca today announced its first-ever direct-to-patient program offering patients with a valid prescription for ARIMIDEX or anastrozole the opportunity to have the brand ARIMIDEX delivered directly to their home by Express Scripts, a specialty pharmacy services provider, for $40 per month, including shipping.

17 Feb 2012

Drug companies forge joint ventures for smart pills

Imagine a "smart pill" containing a biodegradable electronic chip that monitors how your body responds to the medicine, broadcasts the information to your iPhone, which then emails the information to your physician.

16 Feb 2012

Steady increase in Low Molecular Weight Heparin use for blood clots: Study

The use of an injectable, clot-preventing drug known as Low Molecular Weight Heparin to treat patients with advanced cancer complicated by blood clots increased steadily between 2000 and 2007, according to a new study published in The Oncologist, funded by the National Cancer Institute and led by Kaiser Permanente Colorado.

15 Feb 2012

Fair trade agreement between E.U., India could impede access to medicine for world's poor

"Current negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union and India are causing serious concern in many quarters over future access to cheap generic medicines used to treat some of the world's great public health threats: HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, and also cancer," Philippe Douste-Blazy, U.N. special adviser on innovative financing for development and chair of UNITAID, and Denis Broun, executive director of UNITAID, write in this post in the Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog."

14 Feb 2012

VTT develops new NFC-based applications for visually impaired

As the proportion of senior citizens grows, their special needs are gaining momentum. Human eyesight, for example, weakens with age. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has been developing new NFC-based applications that make life easier for the visually impaired.

10 Feb 2012

Former Omnicare employees claim to have been unlawfully underpaid

Former employees of Omnicare, Inc., one of the nation's leading providers of long-term pharmaceutical care for seniors, claim that they have been unlawfully underpaid during their employment with the company.

10 Feb 2012

State roundup: Iowa ponders HPV awareness program; Md. workers will see pharmacy plan change; Mass. changes saving money for cities

Iowa's health department would launch a $250,000 public awareness program about the human papillomavirus vaccine under a bill approved today by a Senate subcommittee. ... Senate Study Bill 3097 would allocate $250,000 for the program, which includes vaccinations for low-income women between the ages 19 and 26 who have no other health coverage. The bill was approved today by a Senate Human Resources subcommittee and now heads to the full committee for further consideration.

10 Feb 2012

New approach for production of tissue culture scaffolds in 3-D arrangements

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego have developed a new method for making scaffolds for culturing tissue in three-dimensional arrangements that mimic those in the body. This advance, published online in the journal Advanced Materials, allows the production of tissue culture scaffolds containing multiple structurally and chemically distinct layers using common laboratory reagents and materials.

10 Feb 2012

Vending machine to dispense “morning after pills” at college sparks debate

Now students at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania can get the “morning after” pill by sliding $25 into a vending machine, an idea that has drawn the attention of federal regulators and raised questions about how accessible emergency contraception should be.

7 Feb 2012

Body's zinc control mechanisms may be key to aggressive breast cancer treatments

The body's control mechanisms for delivering zinc to cells could be key to improving treatment for some types of aggressive breast cancer.

6 Feb 2012

Comprehensive program to help reduce health risks of narcotics drugs on injured workers

Accident Fund Holdings, Inc. recently created a comprehensive narcotics program to help reduce the health risks of these drugs on injured workers and ultimately provide a mechanism for them to get back to work sooner.

6 Feb 2012

Soligenix reports positive results from preclinical studies of vaccine thermostabilization technology

Soligenix, Inc., a development stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today results from preclinical studies of its proprietary vaccine thermostabilization technology indicating that Soligenix is able to produce stable vaccine formulations using adjuvants, protein immunogens, and other components that ordinarily would not withstand long temperature variations exceeding customary refrigerated storage conditions.

6 Feb 2012

Humana fourth quarter consolidated revenues increase 9% to $9.06B

Humana Inc. today reported diluted earnings per common share (EPS) for the quarter ended December 31, 2011 (4Q11) of $1.20, compared to $0.63 per share for the quarter ended December 31, 2010.

6 Feb 2012

Cardinal Health receives TRO to resume controlled medicine shipments from Lakeland

Today Cardinal Health was granted a temporary restraining order against the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) immediate suspension order of its Lakeland, Fla. DEA registration.

4 Feb 2012

Websites advertising statins for sale contain poor levels of safety information

A new study published in the journal Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety reveals that internet sites selling prescription statins directly to consumers are widespread, and that most websites advertising statins for sale to the general public contain very poor levels of information relevant to safe use of the medicine and side effects.

3 Feb 2012

UPMC Health Plan launches Individual Advantage

UPMC Health Plan is introducing eight new affordable health care coverage plans for individuals that provide 100 percent coverage on preventive care, health savings account options, and more. Pricing for this comprehensive coverage is as low as $2.46 a day.

2 Feb 2012

Counterfeit Drugs - New technology to combat counterfeit

A brand new and patented technology has recently been launched that protects patients from buying and using counterfeit medicines. Pharmaceutical companies can now effectively and very economically protect their products and supply chain with this technology, thus avoiding damages and incalculable liabilities resulting from falsified products.

1 Feb 2012

Cooked tomatoes could help in prostate cancer: Study

Scientists have discovered the nutrient, lycopene, which is found in cooked tomatoes, can slow the growth and even kill the cancer cells. Dr Mridula Chopra and colleagues at the University of Portsmouth found that lycopene, which gives tomatoes their red color, intercepts the cancer's ability to make the connections it needs to attach to a healthy blood supply.

1 Feb 2012

UCSD's upcoming Patient Safety Conference to be held on Feb. 16

UC San Diego's upcoming Patient Safety Conference, "New Technologies to Patient Care: The Promise and the Peril" will be held Thursday, February 16, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Medical Education and Telemedicine Building located at 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093.

1 Feb 2012

TGen, UA receive NFCR grant to study targeted pancreatic cancer therapies

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the University of Arizona (UA) have received a three-year, $600,000 grant to study targeted cancer therapies from the National Foundation for Cancer Research.

1 Feb 2012