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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.

Inhaled Celecoxib shows new promise for lung cancer treatment

In recent years, Cycloxygenase (COX)-2 has emerged as a therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of various types of cancers.

6 Mar 2007

CMS Administrator Norwalk says releasing data on Medicare prescription drug benefit discounts would undermine negotiations

CMS Administrator Leslie Norwalk in a letter to lawmakers on Thursday said that the agency will not disclose information on discounts obtained by pharmacy benefit managers for Medicare prescription drug plans, CQ HealthBeat reports.

5 Mar 2007

New drug delivery method incorporates drug molecules in fat

Devastating blood-borne fungal infections that can be lethal for HIV/AIDS, cancer, and organ transplant patients may be treated more successfully, thanks to a new drug delivery method developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

5 Mar 2007

Green tea and COX-2 inhibitors combine to slow growth of prostate cancer

Drinking a nice warm cup of green tea has long been touted for its healthful benefits, both real and anecdotal. But now researchers have found that a component of green tea, combined with low doses of a COX-2 inhibitor, could slow the spread of human prostate cancer.

1 Mar 2007

U.S. should establish initiative to mobilize health workers to countries affected by HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS is "essentially the black death of the 21st century, killing on a massive scale and threatening to cripple economies and topple governments," Fitzhugh Mullan of George Washington University's Department of Health Policy writes in a commentary in the Feb. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

21 Feb 2007

New changes for UK pharmaceutical regulation

The Chief Pharmaceutical Officers from England, Scotland and Wales came together today to reveal plans for historic changes to the regulation of the pharmacy profession.

21 Feb 2007

Legislation introduced that would give FDA authority to approve generic versions of biotechnology drugs

Lawmakers in the House and Senate on Wednesday introduced a bill that would allow FDA to approve generic versions of biotechnology medications, USA Today reports.

19 Feb 2007

Canadian prescription drugs still being seized in U.S.

At least 37 packages of prescription drugs from Canada were seized by federal officials in South Florida, despite a federal government promise in October 2006 to stop confiscating drugs imported for personal use, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

7 Feb 2007

Garlic offers hope in cystic fibrosis infection

Garlic has been hailed a wonder drug for centuries and has been used to prevent gangrene, treat high blood pressure, ward off common colds and is even believed by some to have cancer-fighting properties.

31 Jan 2007

Novartis' day in court could leave millions without AIDS drugs

The Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis is in court in India this week challenging the country's patent laws.

30 Jan 2007

Micro molecules can distinguish pancreatic cancer from normal and benign pancreatic tissue

The study examined human pancreatic tumor tissue and compared it to nearby normal tissue and control tissue for levels of microRNA (miRNA).

28 Jan 2007

Blue-green algae may lead to exciting class of anti-cancer drugs

Combining synthetic chemistry techniques with a knowledge of the properties and actions of enzymes, scientists have been able to produce an exciting class of anti-cancer drugs originally isolated from blue-green algae.

10 Jan 2007

Micro molecules identify pancreatic cancer

A pattern of micro molecules can distinguish pancreatic cancer from normal and benign pancreatic tissue, new research suggests.

10 Jan 2007

Use of statins and beta-blockers as prescribed following heart attack associated with living longer

New research suggests that the pharmacological effects of taking medications such as statins and beta-blockers as prescribed following a heart attack is associated with living longer, according to a study in the January 10 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

9 Jan 2007

NanoMed Pharmaceuticals issued new U.S. nanoparticle patent

NanoMed Pharmaceuticals has announced that founders Russell J. Mumper, Ph.D. and Michael Jay, Ph.D. have been issued U.S. Patent 7,153,525 entitled "Microemulsions As Precursors To Solid Nanoparticles."

3 Jan 2007

Low-income Medicare beneficiaries will have trouble getting medications in January 2007

Some pharmacists and advocates have raised concerns that many low-income Medicare beneficiaries "will again have trouble getting medications next month, as they did in January of this year," when the Medicare prescription drug benefit began, the New York Times reports.

5 Dec 2006

Susan Winckler appointed as acting FDA Chief of Staff

Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs (FDA), today announced the appointment of Susan C. Winckler, RPh, Esq., as the agency's Acting Chief of Staff. Ms. Winckler is replacing Patrick Ronan who announced his resignation last week after several years of service at the FDA.

5 Dec 2006

City kids with asthma lose out on preventive treatment

A new study by specialists at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center and elsewhere suggests that only one in five inner-city children with chronic asthma gets enough medicine to control dangerous flare-ups of the disease.

4 Dec 2006

Handbook on Developing pharmacy practice - A focus on patient care

The traditional role of pharmacists is to manufacture and supply medicines. More recently, pharmacists have been faced with increasing health demands: an ever-growing and complex range of medicines, and poor adherence to prescribed medicines, have forced the evolution of the pharmacist’s role into a more patient centred approach (known as pharmaceutical care).

23 Nov 2006

International plan to protect against counterfeit medicines

The World Health Organization (WHO) and more than 20 international partners are today launching a comprehensive package of measures to help national authorities safeguard their populations from the dangers of counterfeit medicines.

15 Nov 2006