Author: Peter

The drug industry wants us to think Martin Shkreli is a rogue CEO. He isn’t.This week, a roiling controversy was ignited after Turing Pharmaceuticals chief executive … Shkreli hiked the price for his drug…by…4,000 percent…major pharmaceutical and biotech industry groups have portrayed Shkreli's actions as totally repugnant and the work of just one company, acting alone, with a flippant young chief executive who doesn't reflect the broader values, practices, or trends of other companies…But it's not,…Here's why:

1. Brand-name drugs are getting more expensive.
2. Even among generic drugs, a class of medicines that is saving us money, some prices are going through the roof.
3. When researchers calculate how much a drug is really worth, it's often a fraction of the list price.
4. This didn't happen overnight

Learning together with other health professionals might become more mainstream for pharmacists, according to a report published..by the International Pharmaceutical Federation Education Initiative…. Interprofessional curriculums could become more common in classrooms and clinical settings, according to the report…"As the number and complexity of treatments grow, it’s no longer possible for any one health provider — no matter how knowledgeable — to be able provide top quality care working in isolation,"...

According to the most recent FDA Enforcement Report, Mutual Pharmaceutical, a division of Sun Pharmaceutical, is recalling 187,106 bottles of felodipine extended-release blood pressure tablets and 29,660 bottles of the antidepressant imipramine because the varnish is leaching benzophenone… during long-term stability testing, it found trace amounts of benzophenone in the drugs, which it said is unlikely to cause any adverse effects.

..HIV activists have signed onto Janssen's ongoing "Wisdom" campaign, headlining a share-your-story campaign for people living with the disease. The Johnson & Johnson unit will award up to $20,000 in charitable donations as part of the effort, which ties in the company's latest HIV brand, Prezcobix (darunavir and cobicistat)… Guy Anthony, Maria Mejia and Josh Robbins--all well-known activists for HIV/AIDS awareness and education--will write, videotape and post their wisdom on www.shareyourwisdom.com, and serve as advisors as the "Your Story. Your HIV Wisdom." campaign progresses.

..pharmacy benefit management industry is experiencing subtle changes, and a leadership shuffle at the country's largest PBM has experts speculating about whether PBMs will remain stand-alone companies…More healthcare organizations view prescription drug use as a critical element of keeping patients healthy and reducing costs, and controlling a PBM could help with a population health strategy…"You could see a pathway forward where the PBMs become more integrated with the payers,"...

Global standards of practice used by hospital pharmacists around the world have been revised by FIP's (International Pharmaceutical Federation) Hospital Pharmacy Section. The standards, known as the "Basel Statements” and first published by the HPS in 2009, cover six main areas of hospital pharmacy:

• Procurement
• Influences on prescribing
• Preparation and delivery of medicines
• Medicines administration
• Monitoring medication
• Human resources and training

PharmTalk is a special production from the University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy that features Keith and Kevin Boesen.

What’s medication therapy management? Who does it serve? This center is staffed with pharmacists and others who help Medicare enrollees and others with their many medications.

Here's the CliffsNotes version of how most drugs go from idea to reality: Basic academic research provides the foundation for a series of clinical trials, first in animals and then in humans, which eventually tell us whether a new treatment is safe and effective…the reality of drug development is rarely that linear or precise…the path to creating a life-saving treatment can be an extremely long, labor-intensive effort that involves thousands of scientists over many decades...

Renown Health announced the completion of two major capital investment projects. Both are focused on patient care areas…Phase one of two planned renovations for the Renown Rehabilitation Hospital just wrapped up with the completion of 33 newly refurbished patient suites. The $1.55M investment is the first of two major investments planned for the facility…Also announced was the recent completion of a $3.39M renovation of 24 Labor and Delivery Suites. This investment follows a $3.45M renovation of three L&D operating rooms last year.

Asia's largest vaccinemaker just made a play that could affect the race for a vaccine protecting against dengue fever,..Serum Institute of India announced…that it's seeking fast-track approval to launch a dengue treatment in India for which it purchased local rights from U.S. biotech Visterra earlier this month…If successful, the company could be the first globally to launch a drug for the mosquito-borne illness,..a development with potential implications in the ongoing dengue vaccine race between Sanofi, Takeda, and others.