Author: Peter

Most employers have been using multi-tier prescription drug plans for many years, but new data…significant increase in the use of 4-tier plans, which typically cover the highest cost drugs, as well as major increases in corresponding median copays a trend that is expected to continue,..general competitive pressure will demand that employees contribute more for the highest tiers...

vaccines widely used by humans today…are what we'd call "perfect" vaccines. But new research suggests that "imperfect" or "leaky" vaccines -- ones that don't make their hosts totally immune to the disease...might have a surprising downside…this so-called leakiness only exists in vaccines used to treat farm animals….researchers warn that as humankind tackles bigger, badder diseases,…. potential danger of leaky vaccines..

David D'Altorio, PharmD, senior vice president of health services at MedImpact Healthcare Systems, Inc, discusses takeaways from the impact of high cost drug launches on specialty pharmacy. (video)

And you thought the fight over prices of cancer and hepatitis drugs was hot….new cholesterol drugs is setting the stage for a battle over the high prices of those specialty medications and the possibility that millions of people will end up using them each year.

Moses Lake Professional Pharmacy is voluntarily recalling human and veterinary sterile compounded drugs which are unexpired to the consumer level due to lack of sterility assurance….has not received any reports of product contamination or adverse events to date, and is issuing this voluntary recall out of an abundance of caution..

Companies fail to report roughly one in 10 serious and unexpected medication side effects to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration within a 15-day window specified by federal regulations to protect patient safety…Drug manufacturers are also less likely to disclose serious adverse events within this window when patient deaths are involved than when complications aren’t fatal,…

Allergan is shelling out $560 million in cash for US biopharma Naurex and its two flagship experimental antidepressants....spending spree continues...

e-prescribing…full potential for improving the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of prescription drug delivery, important work remains...ultimate goal…a clear, complete, and unambiguous e-prescription order that can be seamlessly received, processed, and fulfilled…without the need for additional clarification… new e-prescription transaction …NCPDP SCRIPT Standard…. move the industry closer to achieving this vision...

More than one-third of Americans are currently obese,…pharmacists may be in a position to encourage obese patients to lose weight. Here are 5 counseling points pharmacists should consider:

1. Daily weigh-ins can help patients not only lose weight, but also keep the pounds off.
2. Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers can produce significant weight loss with long-term efficacy.
3. Some parents may be reluctant to acknowledge their child’s obesity.
4. Losing weight can help reduce the burden of obesity’s comorbidities.
5. Patients on weight-loss medications are successful if they lose around 5% to 10% of their body weight.　

FIVE drug store proprietors, whose shops were closed for operating illegally in Ndola,...Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority… arrested and charged after they were found operating their drug stores illegally… imprisoned to two months