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…abbreviations "TPA" and "t-PA" are causing medication mix-ups between alteplase (Activase) and tenecteplase (TNKase)….This confusion is a significant contributing factor to wrong drug errors between Activase and TNKase, according to the FDA and Institute for Safe Medication Practices… To avoid this, ISMP recommends removing the abbreviations from all standardized order sets, electronic order entry screens, and treatment protocols, and referring to the medications by their brand names, generic names, or both in all verbal and written communication.

Shares in Novo Nordisk rose as much as 5 percent on Monday after the Food and Drug Administration approved the diabetes drug Tresiba (insulin degludec),..."This will be Novo's largest drug launch ever and we believe it is very well prepared,"… compete against long-acting insulins Lantus and Toujeo...

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.

Pharmacies in areas affected by wildfires in California can provide prescription medications to evacuees under a waiver granted by the state’s pharmacy board,..Responding to Gov. Jerry Brown’s declaration of emergency ,...California State Board of Pharmacy held an emergency meeting in Sacramento,..Under the action taken at this meeting, pharmacists in Lake, Napa, Amador, and Caleveras counties are now permitted to dispense medically necessary prescription drugs that patients could not otherwise access during this emergency situation…

CEO, CFO step down amid financial mess at NHS hospitals…rollout of a $300M Epic EHR implementation at Cambridge University Hospitals in the UK is making a bad financial situation worse, according to news reports from across the pond…"The introduction of the new computer system was troubled and difficult and I suspect that's contributed to their problems, but I think the basic responsibility for this is the [financial] pressure that's been put on the National Health Service by the government. The Conservatives promised extra for the health service - we haven't seen it."

Nevada Health CO-OP is struggling to the end…Nevada Division of Insurance…filed a petition in Clark County District Court to place the CO-OP into a conservation-rehabilitation receivership. If the court grants the petition, the division would take control of the CO-OP's assets, distribution of funds and administration… CO-OP was created by the federal Affordable Care Act...It borrowed $65.9 million from the federal government to get off the ground…It has not made profits to pay back the loans: The CO-OP reported a $19.3 million operating loss in 2014, and losses of $22.7 million from January through June…It's the fourth of 23 Obamacare CO-OPs to fail nationwide.

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.

Walgreens is providing up to $15 million worth of free flu shot vouchers through its collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services, in an effort to improve immunization rates among uninsured and underinsured…the voucher initiative has been instrumental in helping to protect more people from the flu each season,… providing access to flu shots at no cost for those who are eligible, we can make a significant impact by protecting more people throughout the flu season…

Texas prison officials are helping their counterparts in Virginia prepare for a scheduled execution next week by providing the state with pentobarbital, a lethal drug that corrections agencies nationwide have had difficulty obtaining…Virginia prison officials also confirmed the trade…Texas and Oklahoma are among a handful of states with laws — being challenged by death penalty opponents — that allow prison officials not to disclose where they get execution drugs…Death Penalty Information Center, an anti-death penalty organization, said the drug exchange raised concerns about government transparency.

Food and Drug Administration has revoked an approval issued in March to India's Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd to launch a drug (Elepsia XR, levetiracetam), for seizures, citing manufacturing quality problems at its production site…setback to SPARC, the research arm of India's largest drugmaker,…FDA issued it a "Complete Response Letter" in which it said "the compliance status of the manufacturing facility was not acceptable on the date of approval".