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St. Louis College of Pharmacy is one of the oldest and largest pharmacy schools in the country…the school itself doesn’t look or feel old…the college just opened a 213,000-square-foot academic and research building and library, which will serve as home base for pharmacy students…"Prospective students and parents are looking for that extra special something when they visit colleges, and we have that with our new building…another building with gyms, a student center, fitness center, residence halls, and dining areas will open in about a year…

• What is unique about your school/program?
• What is the teaching style or philosophy?
• What are some community outreach activities or programs the school participates in? What volunteer opportunities are available to students?
• What opportunities do students have for internships or co-ops?
• What advice do you have for students who will graduate this year?

Eli Lilly's plans to discontinue development of a cholesterol drug is likely to have ramifications that stretch beyond…to include several of its competitors, as well…Lilly shares dropped…after it said that its drug evacetrapib, one of a class of cholesterol drugs known as CETP inhibitors, showed a lack of effectiveness in clinical testing. Shares of Merck, another company that's developing a CETP cholesterol treatment, were also lower…"The fact that Lilly's drug today failed essentially on an efficacy issue suggests that the CETP class overall are not going to deliver the benefit…from an efficacy standpoint,"…"PCSK9 inhibitors are much more likely to generate much more upside."

…public uproar about high drug prices has focused on outlandish cases…Biotech companies have launched late-stage clinical trials that could lead to federal approval of two marketable treatments backed by CIRM (California Institute for Regenerative Medicine), the state's $6-billion stem cell program…they may also put CIRM smack in the middle of a burgeoning debate over how to ensure access for all patients to life-enhancing or life-saving cures…stem cell and other advanced biologic treatments will be among the most expensive therapies...Proposition 71, the 2004 ballot initiative…was pitched to the voting public as an economic bounty waiting to be reaped…healthcare cost savings to the state government of as much as $6.9 billion, and up to $18.4 billion in savings for private insurers and other payers. Such savings haven't materialized. CIRM also requires companies to share their income from drugs developed with the program's backing on a sliding scale based in part on the magnitude of the profits.

U.S. prices for the world's 20 top-selling medicines are…three times higher than in Britain… Researchers…also found U.S. prices were consistently higher than in other European markets…The United States, which leaves pricing to market competition, has higher drug prices than other countries where governments directly or indirectly control medicine costs…That makes it by far the most profitable market for pharmaceutical companies, leading to complaints that Americans are effectively subsidizing health systems elsewhere…Manufacturers say decent returns are needed to reward high-risk research…also point to higher U.S. survival rates for diseases such as cancer and the availability of industry-backed access schemes for poorer citizens…Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America says international comparisons are misleading because list prices do not take into account discounts available as a result of "aggressive negotiation" by U.S. insurers.

Andi Lane Clark, PharmD, Director of Clinical Field Services at Rite Aid, discusses how proper medication adherence habits allow patients to better manage their chronic conditions.

As much as the chain drug industry has consolidated, there is room for more mergers and acquisitions. That’s evident from the M&A speculation swirling about the sector in the U.S. and Canada...I believe that the American markets will go through a substantial wave of consolidation horizontally and vertically…we want to be part of this, at the right time with the right partner. We are open to any kind of combination which could improve the value of our company, and we are looking actively around us to understand which is the best option for us.

A trio of bills aimed at bringing order and oversight to California’s medical marijuana industry…This new structure will make sure patients have access to medical marijuana, while ensuring a robust tracking system…seeks to manage medical marijuana by requiring individuals or companies engaged in any aspect of the industry to obtain at least one of 17 different licenses…The legislation includes separate licenses for indoor and outdoor cultivation, transportation, product testing, distribution and dispensaries of different sizes. It...charges various state agencies to develop guidelines for packaging, potency, pesticide use and advertising…sets up a medical marijuana bureau,..allows the state to issue licenses to pay for oversight,…cracks down on clinics that specialize in issuing medical marijuana licenses for people without valid health needs...

• Walgreens’ Markes-Wilson: Extraordinary care for all
• CVS pharmacists show commitment to diversity
• Rite Aid’s Afilaka goes ‘above and beyond’
• Excelling in diabetes management, care
• Sam’s Club’s Cavan merges passion for people, pharmacy
• H-E-B’s Lehew, Stehling ‘do whatever it takes’
• Supporting communities through the pharmacy
• ‘Best Practice’ winners set mark for innovation
• Filling local health needs with compounding, infusion
• Topeka Pharmacy is community’s service center

'We have this visit-based system that developed 100 years ago. That doesn’t make sense in a world of chronic conditions.'..It's time to stop thinking about healthcare in terms of the doctor's visit…Healthcare takes place in between the visits, and away from the doctor's office. And once the healthcare community realizes this, it can move beyond that time-honored tradition of delivering "epistrophic care" and do something useful for the patient…We have a shifting paradigm in healthcare..

Swiss drugmaker Novartis will invest up to an extra $15 million in Gamida Cell, an Israeli developer of stem cell therapies…Novartis last year invested $35 million in the company for a 15 percent stake…$15 million investment will be used to advance Gamida Cell's clinical programs, including the development of NiCord, an experimental treatment for patients with high risk hematological malignancies, or blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma and sickle cell disease…Gamida plans to initiate a Phase III clinical trial with NiCord in mid-2016.