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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.

Harvard, SLU to develop asthma alert messaging system

A $93,000 gift from Google together with a $25,000 award from Saint Louis University's President's Research Fund will allow faculty at SLU, Harvard and St. Louis College of Pharmacy to research smart phone and web-based applications and data infrastructure to create an asthma alert messaging system.

19 Oct 2012

Minnelide gives new hope for patients with pancreatic cancer

A new drug created at the University of Minnesota may hold the answer to defeating pancreatic cancer, according to results published today in the prestigious journal Science Translational Medicine.

19 Oct 2012

Lack of 'fiscal cliff' talk offers proof that the urgent issue is frozen until after election

The fact that House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and President Barack Obama have not discussed looming automatic spending cuts leads this roundup of Capitol Hill news.

19 Oct 2012

Roundup: Ore. lawmakers petition for separate dental care; Docs failing to check drug registry in Colo.

The state is inviting public comment on how dentists fit with reforms of the Oregon Health Plan. Last week, two lawmakers and a dental executive submitted a petition to the Oregon Health Authority asking that dental care remain separate until 2017 from the state's new coordinated care organizations (CCOs), provider networks set up to integrate services, manage spending and reward prevention in the care of low-income members of the Medicaid-funded system.

19 Oct 2012

Federal agents raid drug compounding center

Food and Drug Administration investigators probe the Massachusetts pharmacy linked to a meningitis outbreak that has killed 16.

19 Oct 2012

Roundup: Mass. launches information exchange; Ga. fight brews over new prompt-pay rule

Massachusetts on Tuesday launched a statewide health information exchange that will allow health care providers to share electronic health information as they seek to improve coordination of care, lower costs and increase patient safety. Gov. Deval Patrick successfully sent his health data from 907-bed Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to 659-bed Baystate Medical Center in Springfield as part of the launch.

19 Oct 2012

Views on meningitis outbreak: FDA says it is working to contain risks; USA Today says regulators had 'ample warning of the potential risks'

The ongoing meningitis outbreak and its impact on patients and their families is a tragedy, and our hearts go out to the patients and their families who have suffered as a result of these events. The FDA's top priority is to fully contain the health risks associated with the outbreak as quickly as possible, and we will continue to work tirelessly to do so.

19 Oct 2012

Additional drugs linked to meningitis outbreak

Food and Drug Administration officials said Monday that more people may be at risk as a result of contaminated drugs made by a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy.

17 Oct 2012

Wolters Kluwer Health enters agreement to acquire Health Language

Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for professionals, students and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health and pharmacy, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Health Language, Inc., a leader in Medical Terminology Management (MTM), a rapidly growing segment of the point-of-care market.

17 Oct 2012

Intensive treatment with high doses of statin drugs shows promise for dyslipidemia

A comprehensive new review on how to treat high cholesterol and other blood lipid problems suggests that intensive treatment with high doses of statin drugs is usually the best approach.

16 Oct 2012

First Edition: October 16, 2012

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a study regarding the possible impact of premium support on Medicare premiums.

16 Oct 2012

Physicians urged to think twice before they prescribe compounded drugs

The recent outbreak of meningitis in the US-and the subsequent deaths of 15 individuals-has renewed scrutiny on the contemporary practice of pharmacy compounding. The risks to patients, and associated liability risk to prescribing physicians, largely outweigh the benefits when the practice goes beyond the traditional, extemporaneous role, according to Sarah Sellers from q-Vigilance LLC and Wulf Utian from Case Western Reserve University in the US. Sellers and Utian's opinion piece appears online in the journal Drugs, published by Adis.

16 Oct 2012

Cannabis and the endocannabinoid system: an interview with Dr Leonora Long

Cannabis has both physical and behavioural effects. People using cannabis can experience feelings of euphoria (well-being), hunger, sleepiness, problems with motor coordination, and sometimes feelings of anxiety and paranoia.

15 Oct 2012

Questions abound on compounding pharmacies after meningitis outbreak

Compounding pharmacies continue to face intense scrutiny over their drug preparation and lobbying habits after one in Massachusetts is suspected in distributing a steroid that led to a meningitis outbreak.

15 Oct 2012

Maryland professor receives 2012 Distinguished Service Award from AAPS

Larry Augsburger, PhD, professor emeritus at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, has received the 2012 Distinguished Service Award of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), one of the highest honors bestowed by the group of 12,000 members in more than 70 countries.

15 Oct 2012

AAPS recognizes top scientists in pharmaceutical sciences

During the Opening Session of the 2012 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition, AAPS President David Y. Mitchell, Ph.D., presented the following ground-breaking researchers with awards commemorating their contributions to the pharmaceutical sciences:

15 Oct 2012

Walmart, Humana to help Medicare beneficiaries afford their prescriptions

Annual enrollment begins today for 2013 Medicare plans and Humana Inc. and Walmart will once again help beneficiaries afford their prescriptions.

15 Oct 2012

State roundup: Minn. says health exchange will cost $40 million

Minnesota budget officials estimate it could cost the state as much as $40 million to run its health insurance exchange in 2015. The state-based online insurance marketplaces are a cornerstone of the federal health care overhaul.

12 Oct 2012

Sun protection: an interview with Jane Hanrahan

UV radiation is a form of energy being transmitted. Sunlight is main source of UV radiation, although manmade sources also exist, such as the lamps used in sunbeds. At the earth’s surface sunlight consists of approximately 2 percent UV light, 47 percent visible light and 51 percent IR light.

11 Oct 2012

Older adults do not tend to adhere to their prescribed drugs after heart attack

Older adults who have had a heart attack don't tend to adhere to their prescribed drugs according to a new study of Medicare beneficiaries by the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.

11 Oct 2012