Pharmacist News and Research

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There are many tasks that a pharmacist is responsible for each day. Pharmacists are some of the most accessible members of the healthcare team, as individuals can seek their advice quickly and easily, even without an appointment.

How much and how often should you take your medicine?

You have just been prescribed a new medication by your doctor and the container label says: "take one tablet by mouth twice daily for 7 days."

29 Nov 2007

FDA approves formulations of Zyrtec (cetirizine HCl) for nonprescription use

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved tablet, chewable tablet, and syrup formulations of Zyrtec (cetirizine HCl) for nonprescription use.

21 Nov 2007

Group sues to obtain records on Clinton health care task force

Judicial Watch has filed a lawsuit against the National Archives to obtain records on the White House task force on health care led by then-first lady Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), the group announced on Monday, the AP/Denver Post reports.

6 Nov 2007

Medsafe warns of "natural health" hazards

The New Zealand Ministry of Health's medicines and medical devices regulator Medsafe is warning New Zealanders to be aware of what they're buying when shopping for herbal remedies, following charges brought against a Chinese herbalist in Auckland.

19 Oct 2007

Federal jury in Miami convicts company owner of Direct Nursing Assistance Inc

A federal jury in Miami has convicted the owner and operator of Direct Nursing Assistance Inc. of Medicare fraud, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta of the Southern District of Florida announced today.

4 Oct 2007

Behind-the-counter drugs could be on sale in U.S. pharmacies

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United states is considering creating a new category of drugs.

3 Oct 2007

Prescription labels focus on logos not instructions

The labels on most prescription drug containers highlight the pharmacy's name or logo rather than instructions on how to take the medication, reports a new study in the September 10 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

12 Sep 2007

Some GPs over-estimate adverse risks associated with the use of beta blocker drugs for heart disease

Some General Practitioners (GPs) over-estimate adverse risks associated with the use of beta blocker drugs in the fight against heart disease, according to research launched today at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester.

11 Sep 2007

Project aims to reduce accidents and broken hips for older patients

Falls are one of the most common problems among elderly patients and are associated with fractures, reduced mobility and hospital admissions, and also lead to a loss of independence and confidence.

11 Sep 2007

$One in two women at high risk of bone fractures don't receive preventative treatment$

One in two women at high risk of bone fractures don't receive preventative treatment

One in two women at high risk of bone fractures don't receive preventative treatment, according to new research presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester.

11 Sep 2007

Hospitals often put allergy sufferers ar risk

Patients are being put at risk because some hospital doctors are not always following warning procedures over known drug allergies, new research launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester shows.

10 Sep 2007

Pharmacist Services Technical Advisory Coalition awarded grant from Community Pharmacy Foundation

The Pharmacist Services Technical Advisory Coalition (PSTAC), an alliance of seven national pharmacy organizations, has recently been awarded a grant from the Community Pharmacy Foundation to support an educational campaign on Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes used for Medication Therapy Management Services (MTMS) provided by pharmacists.

28 Aug 2007

Study highlights the importance of patient-pharmacist communication

Despite years of effort in reaching out to their local communities, the role pharmacists play as health care providers still remains unclear to the people who need them the most elderly Americans with multiple medications for chronic diseases.

17 Aug 2007

Mother and daughter tackle obesity and diabetes together

Two months ago, Phoenix residents Marlene Zytcer, 57, and her daughter Aimee, 31, traveled to the University of California, San Diego Medical Center for a minimally invasive surgery to lose weight.

7 Aug 2007

Headaches of computerized medicine

Clinical information technology systems especially those known in the health care industry as computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems promise to improve health outcomes, reduce medical errors and increase cost efficiency, but hospitals adopting them must plan for immense workflow issues and a host of other unanticipated consequences that come with them or face potentially crippling problems.

3 Aug 2007

Study targets pharmacists to help diabetes sufferers

A new Wesley Research Institute project aims to make it much easier for people to manager their Type 2 Diabetes by using community pharmacists.

9 Jul 2007

FDA clears computerized medication box

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared for marketing the INRange Systems' Electronic Medication Management Assistant (EMMA), a programmable device that stores and dispenses prescription medication for patients' use in the home.

23 Jun 2007

Don't flush old or unused medications

Your spring cleaning is done. Or is it? Did you clean out your medicine cabinet? Before you flush old or unused medication, precautions need to be taken.

16 Jun 2007

Splitting high-dose pills and swallowing half could save cost

Slicing certain pills in half could slice a hefty amount off of America's prescription drug costs. While only some types of pills can be split safely, the practice could be used by millions of Americans – including many of those who take popular cholesterol-lowering drugs.

15 Jun 2007

Low levels of testosterone may increase the long-term risk of death in men over 50 years old

"The new study is only the second report linking deficiency of this sex hormone with increased death from all causes, over time, and the first to do so in relatively healthy men who are living in the community," said Gail Laughlin, Ph.D., assistant professor and study author.

8 Jun 2007