Author: Peter

...newest pharmacy location, Campus Pharmacy West, is...located next to...Las Vegas Patient Care Center on Charleston Blvd., just west of I-15...(next to the School of Medicine's Patient Care Center; 1701 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 100; 702-992-6906)...Pharmacist Lawrence Coleman, R.Ph....serves as an excellent resource for both patients and practitioners dealing with medication management and best practices in pharmaceutical care....

As World Antibiotics Awareness Week draws attention to the threat of resistance, pharma companies large and small say a worldwide overhaul of payment models will make anti-infective R&D profitable again…AstraZeneca published an open letter…calling on the UK government to attract companies to antibiotics discovery work with a more profitable funding mechanism…the pharma industry has been reluctant to sink funds into what it perceives as a poor return on investment. Traditional payment models – where companies profit per volume sold – are a weak incentive in an area where prescription levels are deliberately limited to prevent resistance…Documents so far suggest a shared pot funded by countries – possibly the G20 – “to establish a mechanism to purchase the global sales rights to new antibiotics, and to subsequently manage their supply internationally.“The development and manufacture of drugs would still take place within the pharmaceutical industry, drawn through the pipeline by the incentive of a full ‘buyout’ of their product once it is ready to market. Although the developer would surrender the right to market their new drug, they would be reimbursed by an amount sufficient to ensure an adequate return on their development costs, and the investment incurred.”

The possible departure of insurance leader UnitedHealth Group Inc. from Obamacare signals worsening prospects for hospitals already facing a slowdown in gains from the program…UnitedHealth said…it expects to lose as much as $500 million next year selling coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act…The ACA boosted hospital earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization by an average of 9 percent this year, and half of that came from patient enrollment through insurance exchanges created by the act…disturbance in these trends. Uninsured admissions at HCA rose 14 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier…many patients may have left their insurer because they haven’t been able to pay their premiums… saw an increase in the number of people previously registered as insured that were converted to self-pay…many with “insurance in name only” -- cheap plans that become unaffordable for expensive hospitalizations…“If you can’t afford your premium and co-pay and deductible, then ..“Having insurance and getting care are two very different things.”…With or without insurance, patients continue to pile into hospital emergency rooms, where care is most expensive…

Involving pharmacists in preventing antimicrobial resistance makes the implementation of successful policies more likely. This is the view of the International Pharmaceutical Federation…to mark the start of the first World Antibiotic Awareness Week…“Fighting antimicrobial resistance: The contribution of pharmacists” presents the causes and consequences of AMR, and points to the need for better management and policies. Antimicrobials are used in inappropriate ways all over the world…The cost to lives and to health care systems resulting from suboptimal antimicrobial medicines use cannot be afforded…The federation also warns that the responsible use of antimicrobials remains crucial; or else new medicines may become ineffective too soon.

A judge has imposed severe sanctions on Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center for intentionally concealing evidence in a civil case filed by a patient who was sexually assaulted at the Las Vegas hospital in 2008…"Centennial failed to disclose relevant evidence that it knew it had a duty to disclose, caused extensive time to pass, and caused memories to fade," District Judge Richard Scotti wrote in a 39-page order…strikes Centennial's answer in the case — a move that establishes liability against the hospital. When the case goes to trial Jan. 4, Centennial will be allowed to defend itself only on the question of damages…"A party who engages in misconduct must suffer reasonable consequences," the judge wrote. "No party should be allowed to conceal evidence, and then suffer merely a monetary sanction, while being allowed to reap the tactical benefit of the loss of that evidence."…The plaintiff, who filed the case in 2009 as Jane Doe, was one of five female patients who were victimized by certified nursing assistant Steven Farmer.

A laser-based treatment will allow powdered vaccines to be delivered through the skin, scientists say…A University of Rhode Island researcher is developing an anti-smoking vaccine administered via “a laser-based epidermal skin powder delivery”…The laser platform creates micro-channel arrays – tiny pores – in the skin, through which a powdered vaccine is delivered from a patch applied onto the skin… the system could lead to the first FDA-approved nicotine vaccine, and beyond that, could provide a painless, needle-free alternative to liquid injections…“Generally, vaccines are liquid, but powdered vaccines are more convenient and they have a longer shelf-life,”… The method also allows use of potent nano-encapsuated adjuvants to safely boost skin vaccination without significant local reactions…“This system is expected to safely and profoundly boost nicotine antibody production and completely block nicotine entry into the brain,”

Mike Glaicar, Business Development: Pharmacy Times...(PTNN) This weekly video program highlights the latest in pharmacy news, product news, and more. (video)

Nevada has created health guidelines for cryotherapy after a Las Vegas spa worker was found dead in a tank that subjects users to subzero temperatures, a treatment that experts say has been growing in popularity but is largely unregulated and whose benefits are not proven…Dr. Tracey Green, the state's chief medical officer, said Friday that the guidelines from the state health department recommend that the machines not be used by minors under 18, those under 5 feet tall and anyone with certain health conditions, such as a history of stroke, high blood pressure, seizures and infections, as well as people who are pregnant or have pacemakers or claustrophobia…The state said it will work with businesses to implement its "expected standards" but there won't be penalties and this doesn't amount to law. Still to be determined is how oversight measures will be carried out to ensure the guidelines will be implemented. The health department has said it will work with other agencies that regulate and license such businesses, including the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration…"We will go back and assist them," Green said of the businesses. "There's not a penalty. It's really about public safety."…The new guidelines ask cryotherapy centers to have nitrogen monitors in the rooms and emergency kits and defibrillators on site. Signs and user waivers that clearly state that the treatment cannot treat illnesses or be used for medical purposes and outline the service's procedures and risks should also be provided…

Food and Drug Administration has so far approved 37 novel drugs in 2015, more than the 34 that had been cleared by this stage a year ago and just short of 2014's final total of 41…European Medicines Agency is also waving through more products, recommending a total of 84 new medicines so far, up from 75 in the first 11 months of 2014…The brisk pace of new arrivals over the past two years reflects improved productivity in drug research labs and a change of pace by regulators, who have committed to speed up the process of getting life-saving treatments to patients, especially in cancer…The science has got better and we seem to be finding more molecules that are showing material improvements…the rapid pace of new drug launches is forecast to continue, with 225 new drugs expected to be approved between 2016 and 2020…Drug companies argue they need to make decent profits to pay for the billions of dollars needed for drug research. Many companies also have extensive low-cost or even free access schemes for patients who cannot afford their medicines… For healthcare systems in the developed world, paying for such pricey medicines is a challenge - but for many patients in poor countries they will remain out of reach, reflecting the economic realities of drug development.

The world is drawing closer to a “post-antibiotic era” after bacteria resistant to last-resort drugs are discovered in China…The report in the Lancet Infectious Diseases identified bacteria resistant to the antibiotic colistin in patients and livestock…the new mutation is able to be easily shared between bacteria…"If this mutation becomes global…and the gene aligns itself with other antibiotic resistance genes…then we will have very likely reached the start of the post-antibiotic era.”… “To advise policy makers on the best way to tackle antimicrobial resistance, robust scientific data on how antimicrobials are used across the EU and how resistance emerges and transfers are needed,”…“This requires close cooperation between the various European agencies that have responsibilities in this area.”