Category:

• Electronic Prescribing Mandate for Controlled Substances
• National Pharmacy Compliance News
• Guidelines, Materials Available to Health Care Providers for Safely Administering COVID-19 Vaccines
• FDA Issues Guidance to Protect Consumers From Methanol Poisoning
• Standardize Concentrations for Oral Liquid Preparations
• Opioid Use Disorder Educational Programs, Resources Available for Pharmacists
• National Diabetes Prevention Program – How Pharmacists Can Get Involved
• Surgery Patients Receive More Opioids in the US Than in Other Countries
• Study Finds 94% Drop in Symptomatic COVID-19 Cases With Pfizer’s Vaccine
• NABP Executive Director/Secretary Addresses Pharmacists’ Involvement in COVID-19 Vaccination During FIP Webinar

Nevada has struck a $45 million settlement deal with McKinsey & Company for the global consulting firm’s role in advising opioid makers how to sell more prescription painkillers amid a national overdose crisis...The western state reached the deal after sitting out a multi-state settlement with McKinsey announced in February. The hard bargaining has allowed Nevada to win a settlement that’s three and a half times larger than the average settlement with other states...READ MORE

Nevada health officials reported Monday that about 1 in 6 people statewide has received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine since shots became available in mid-December...“I do think progress is starting to finally click and continue to increase,” said James English, COVID-19 response operations chief in Washoe County, where state statistics show 16.8% of residents have received their first shot and 9.8% have been fully vaccinated...READ MORE

Nevada no longer has one of the worst COVID-19 vaccination rates per capita in the U.S., according to federal data...The Silver State had consistently ranked among the bottom five states at administering vaccine for weeks. It now ranks 12th worst, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported...READ MORE

A legislative committee unanimously passed a bill that would create a state fund to house proceeds from opioid settlements, such as those against prominent pharmaceutical companies accused of helping fuel the opioid crisis...The bill would establish the “Nevada Fund for Healthy Communities,” which would hold the proceeds of state litigation against opioid manufacturers, distributors, sellers and marketers — including the $45 million Nevada is set to receive from the settlement of a lawsuit against consulting firm McKinsey & Company, which provided services for opioid manufacturers...READ MORE

People from 55 to 64 with certain medical conditions are now eligible to get COVID-19 vaccinations at Nevada pharmacies, with no proof of medical status required...The state opened up eligibility this week to those in this age group with conditions ranging from cancer to smoking that put them at higher risk for serious disease from COVID-19...Eligibility also has been extended to those with conditions that only potentially put them at higher risk, such as asthma or dementia, as well as to those with disabilities or who are experiencing homelessness...READ MORE

Nevada on Thursday reported higher-than-average tallies of new coronavirus cases and additional fatalities over the preceding day...Updated figures from the Department of Health and Human Services posted to the state’s coronavirus website showed 571 new coronavirus cases and 14 additional deaths from Wednesday’s report. That brought cumulative totals for the state to 292,630 cases and 4,933 deaths...READ MORE

Nevada was awarded $30.2 million from the Centers for Disease Control to beef up the state’s COVID-19 vaccine program, including a push to vaccinate communities of color...“Millions of Americans are getting vaccinated every day, but we need to ensure that we are reaching those in the communities hit hardest by this pandemic,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said... “This investment will support state and local health departments and community-based organizations as they work on the frontlines to increase vaccine access, acceptance, and uptake.”...READ MORE

Health care companies and insurers were among the biggest spenders of the 2020 campaign cycle, shelling out more than $1 million on legislative campaigns over the two year period...That marks a sharp increase over the 2018 cycle, which saw just $744,000 in combined legislative campaign contributions from the industry...The Nevada Independent categorized and analyzed more than 7,700 individual contributions of more than $200 made to sitting Nevada lawmakers in 2019 and 2020...These contributions capture nearly all campaign spending throughout the two-year cycle, and more broadly show to whom the largest contributions flowed and how much those contributions were worth in the aggregate...not included is roughly $272,000 contributed by pharmaceutical companies. That fundraising total is large enough to justify a separate category in The Nevada Independent’s Follow the Money series, and a full breakdown of pharmaceutical campaign spending will be included in a later installment...READ MORE

Nevada health officials are still awaiting answers about why the state has one of the nation’s lowest COVID-19 vaccine allocations from the federal government...As of this week, the state remained ranked among the bottom 10 states in terms of vaccine allocation per capita. It had received about 21,070 first doses per 100,000 adult residents...READ MORE