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Prescriptions for narcotic-containing drugs often contain too much medication per dose

Parents who give young children prescription painkillers should take extra care to make sure they give just the right amount. What they may be surprised to learn, however, is that the dose given to them by the pharmacy could be too high, according to research to be presented Saturday, April 30, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver.

30 Apr 2011

State news: Calif. report faults screening of in-home care providers

Two of the state's largest private medical practices are in talks to merge into a giant doctor-run group that would care for nearly a million Massachusetts patients and significantly escalate the pace of health care consolidation throughout the state. Atrius Health, which runs the Harvard Vanguard system and four other doctors practices, is in advanced talks with Fallon Clinic, the Worcester-based medical group.

22 Apr 2011

Covidien second quarter net sales up 10% to $2.80 billion

Covidien plc today reported results for the second quarter of fiscal 2011 (January - March 2011). Net sales of $2.80 billion increased 10% from the $2.55 billion reported in the second quarter a year ago. Foreign exchange rate movement added approximately two percentage points to the quarterly sales growth rate.

21 Apr 2011

Media report on additional FY11 budget details

Multiple news outlets examined the proposed reductions of the FY11 spending measure that was released on Tuesday.

15 Apr 2011

Patients prescribed high doses of pain medications at higher risk of overdose: Study

According to a study published in the April 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA, receiving higher prescribed doses of opioid prescriptions is associated with an increased risk of opioid overdose death, but receiving both as-needed and regularly scheduled doses is not associated with overdose risk.

5 Apr 2011

Majority of customers highly satisfied with neighborhood independent drugstores

New drugstore Ratings published in the May issue of Consumer Reports and available online at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org reveal that the overwhelming majority (94%) of readers are highly satisfied with their experiences at neighborhood independent drugstores. While customers said they were generally satisfied with their pharmacies, some were irked by long waits and lagging service at some big box stores.

5 Apr 2011

MnSOD oral drug can protect against lung cancer radiation therapy

Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer can safely take an experimental oral drug intended to protect healthy tissue from the effects of radiation, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and published in this month's issue of Human Gene Therapy.

23 Mar 2011

Research links frequent prescribing to opioid-related deaths

Some physicians are prescribing opioids such as OxyContin 55 times as often as others, according to a new study led by St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). The study found most opioid-related deaths occur among patients treated by physicians who frequently prescribe opioids, suggesting doctors who prescribe a lot of opioids may not be doing so safely.

15 Mar 2011

Northstar fourth quarter net patient service revenue decreases to $2.2 million

Northstar Healthcare Inc. today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2010.

10 Mar 2011

New concerns over prescription narcotics use

Over fifty Australian general practitioners have come under the scanner as part of a national crackdown on inappropriate prescribing of narcotics. The three-month campaign is being carried out by the Medicare following high levels of prescriptions for drugs such as OxyContin and OxyNorm. One GP has been found to be writing over 90 per cent of their prescriptions for narcotics. There are further concerns that the painkillers are being resold on the black market.

7 Mar 2011

$Tip sheets provide details on hip and knee fracture treatment$

Tip sheets provide details on hip and knee fracture treatment

Patients who wait more than 36 hours for surgery to correct a hip fracture have a 39 percent rate of medical complication and those who wait 48 hours have a 46 percent complication rate. Patients who receive surgical treatment within 24 hours have a lower complication rate of 25 percent and a shorter hospital stay. Each day the surgery was delayed added an additional two days to hospital stay.

21 Feb 2011

State and federal efforts to monitor drug prescriptions and payments face challenges

The Center For Public Integrity reports on the challenges Medicare faces in trying to ensure that prescription drugs paid for by its contracting health plans are actually prescribed by doctors. Meanwhile, The Miami Herald chronicles the latest chapter in the ongoing story about the state's pill mills.

10 Feb 2011

New compound appears to prevent pain crises in sickle cell disease: GHSU

A new compound appears to prevent the traffic jam of cells that causes debilitating pain crises and associated mortality in sickle cell disease, Georgia Health Sciences University researchers report.

1 Feb 2011

Pisgah's technology imparts abuse deterrence to commonly abused prescription drugs

Pisgah Labs announced today the findings from a proof of concept study confirming Pisgah's technology imparts abuse deterrence to commonly abused prescription drugs, particularly narcotics. The controlled study, conducted in dogs, was performed with the un-formulated active ingredient, hydrocodone, as modified according to a host of patent applications filed by Pisgah Labs with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (http://www.uspto.gov).

10 Dec 2010

Omnicell to unveil new solutions at 2010 ASHP midyear conference

Omnicell, Inc., a leading provider of medication management solutions to acute healthcare facilities, will display its latest innovations during the 45th American Society for Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition from December 6-8 in Anaheim, California.

From Omnicell, Inc. 4 Dec 2010

Prescription rates for controlled medications double for teens, young adults

Adolescents and young adults are most likely to abuse prescription medications. Yet prescription rates for controlled medications, or drugs the Drug Enforcement Administration deems as having the potential for abuse, have nearly doubled for those age groups in the past 14 years, according to a recent study published in Pediatrics. Overall, a controlled medication was prescribed for young adults at approximately one out of every six visits and for young adult by adolescents one out of every nine encounters.

30 Nov 2010

Pisgah Labs receives QTDP grant to accelerate abuse deterrent technology

Pisgah Labs, Inc., an innovative drug development and active ingredient manufacturer located in Western North Carolina, has received a substantial federal grant.

4 Nov 2010

Inter Press Service reports on counterfeit medicine challenges in central, Eastern Europe

Central and Eastern Europe is facing 'significant challenges' in combating a multi-billion euro, and often lethal, trade in fake medicines, security and pharmaceutical groups have warned, Inter Press Service reports in an article that examines the scope of the problem in a region now identified as a key smuggling route in an illicit trade which is growing every year.

30 Oct 2010

More effective therapeutic exercises underutilized in treatment of chronic neck pain

Duke University and University of North Carolina (UNC) researchers report in the November issue of Arthritis Care & Research that narcotics and diagnostic testing are overused in treating chronic neck pain. Their findings indicate clinicians may overlook more effective treatments for neck pain, such as therapeutic exercise. According to reviews cited in the study, evidence to support the effectiveness of therapeutic exercise in treating chronic neck pain is good, yet only 53% of subjects were prescribed such exercise.

28 Oct 2010

CVS agrees to record fine to settle meth suit

The CVS retail pharmacy chain agreed Thursday to pay a record fine to settle a civil case brought by federal prosecutors who said the company had allowed criminals to buy large amounts of methamphetamine ingredients over the counter.

18 Oct 2010