Author: Peter

Mike Glaicar, Business Development: Pharmacy Times...(PTNN) This weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.

Drug-resistant superbugs account for an estimated 700,000 deaths worldwide today, but that number could rise to 10 million within the next few decades unless new antibiotics are developed...That’s according to a new report commissioned by the UK government, which is proposing a provocative solution to the problem: a 10-year, $40 billion global fund to provide incentives to develop new superbug-fighting drugs...Under the proposed scheme, any drug maker that comes up with a useful antibiotic could receive a reward of around $1 billion...Governments are expected to provide much of the funding. But the report...also calls for a tax on any drug maker that fails to invest in new antibiotic research — and companies are already balking at the proposal. Industry trade groups quickly denounced the "pay or play" provision as "punitive" and warned it would "undermine goodwill."

As a crucial deadline nears for a closely watched regulatory decision, two Republican senators are urging the Food and Drug Administration to approve a controversial drug to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy...In a letter sent last Friday, the senators expressed "disappointment" that an FDA advisory panel last month voted not to recommend eteplirsen to combat the disease, which is a rare and fatal genetic disorder that causes muscles to waste away...The panel determined the drug was not effective...The FDA is scheduled to decide whether to approve the drug...by this coming Thursday...its decision is being closely watched as a litmus test for the agency, which is grappling with increasingly assertive patient groups that want the agency to take a more expansive view toward approving medicines for unmet medical needs...The advisory panel, which consisted of scientists and doctors who are not FDA employees, voted seven to three, with three abstentions, against recommending approval. But asked whether accelerated approval should be granted, the vote was much closer vote: seven said no and six said yes. The agency is not obligated to accept panel recommendations, but usually does so.

The imminent chain-wide arrival of digital receipts was first unveiled on Friday evening on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, in a surprise appearance featuring CVS Pharmacy President Helena Foulkes. The show acknowledged the...feedback shared by millions of customers – including host Jimmy Kimmel himself, who has put CVS Pharmacy receipts and ExtraCare Rewards in the spotlight several times in the past...We are excited to roll out the much-anticipated launch of digital receipts. We heard loud and clear that while our customers love receiving coupons and special offers, many wanted a paperless option...This feature lets our customers continue to make personalized choices as to how they engage with us, and will let our members choose to say 'So long!' to the long paper receipts at check-out...

Robert Sztar is the founder of Pharmactive and has developed a unique 4-step method of ‘Transpharmation’ which covers:

1. Education – I teach you the purpose of the currently available technologies.
2. Discovery – I help pharmacy owners to discover processes in their business which can be aided or automated by technology
3. Partnership – I introduce pharmacy owners to the right technology partners who will help them to plan, implement, train and maintain their products in their pharmacy.
4. Optimisation – I help you review the solutions implemented to ensure that the original objectives have been delivered upon, and discussing areas of potential improvement.  (podcast 24:29 min)

The implant promises to treat opioid addiction without the hassle of a daily pill. And the company marketing the drug is so confident it’ll work, it’s planning to offer insurers a twist on a money-back guarantee: If the new device doesn’t save them money, they’ll get a refund...The implant, branded as Probuphine, relies on four tiny rods implanted under the skin to dispense the drug buprenorphine for six months at a time. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide on Friday whether to approve it...Braeburn Pharmaceuticals...has commercial rights to the implant...plans to price the implant "competitively" with other injectable drugs for neuropsychological conditions…"We are going to put our money where our mouth is," said Braeburn CEO Behshad Sheldon. "We believe that when you guarantee compliance with a medicine, it is going to save money in the long run."...The FDA rejected the implant the first time it came before the agency in 2013, requesting more data demonstrating its efficacy.

A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed assessing ways to reduce medical errors in the U.S. strongly recommends including pharmacists on care teams. "How to Make Hospitals Less Deadly" by James B. Lieber notes that pharmacists’ extensive knowledge of medications offers an important barrier to common medical errors... "Doctors have only glancing knowledge of how an ever-multiplying number of drugs interact with diet, age, disease, body type and each other," he writes, pointing to a study that showed placing pharmacists in patient areas decreased errors by 45% and cut errors leading to death or severe harm by 94%..."Studies have long demonstrated that pharmacists have much to offer in terms of ensuring appropriate prescribing and optimal medication therapy outcomes," said ASHP CEO Paul W. Abramowitz, Pharm.D.

One day after recommending approval of a new diabetes drug made by Novo Nordisk A/S, a U.S. advisory panel...recommended approval of a similar product made by Sanofi SA…combination drug, iGlarLixi, for patients with type 2 diabetes...IGlarLixi combines Sanofi's insulin drug Lantus with its experimental diabetes treatment lixisenatide, a member of a class of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists...Lixisenatide by itself is an experimental drug. The panel discussed FDA concerns that the drug may cause more allergic reactions than others in the class but were satisfied that its safety and efficacy was broadly in line with others in its class...An FDA approval decision on lixisenatide is expected in July and on iGlarLixi in August...

Israeli 3D printer firm Nano Dimension has successfully lab-tested a 3D bioprinter for stem cells, paving the way for the potential printing of large tissues and organs...While 3D printers are used already to create stem cells for research, Nano Dimension said the trial, conducted with Israeli biotech firm Accellta Ltd, showed its adapted printer could make large volumes of high resolution cells quickly...3D bioprinting enabled by the two companies' technologies, means that Nano Dimension and Accellta have the potential to accelerate high fidelity and high viability manufacturing of living cellular products...Accellta's technology can deliver large quantities of high quality cells which can be an enabler for printing even large and complex tissues and organs...

Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center plans to expand its psychiatric services with the addition of a $26 million behavioral health center to its main structure...The one-story, 80-bed center, which will be connected to the main hospital building at 9300 W. Sunset Road, is scheduled to begin construction this year...It is expected to open next year to "ease the chronic lack of space and add services to treat adolescents through senior patients, age 55 and over,"...The facility will serve patients with state-funded Medicaid, Medicare and all private insurance....About 120 staff members will work at the center, 92 of which will be new hires...The lack of Medicaid psych beds has led to overcrowded emergency rooms in our hospitals and delayed treatment for those in dire need...