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In another sign of growing impatience with the high cost of prescription drugs, bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House that would limit pharmaceutical companies’ ability to delay the entry of generic drugs into the market...The Terminating the Extension of Rights Misappropriated Act targets the practice of “evergreening,” in which pharmaceutical companies make minor changes to a drug and file a new patent on those miniscule modifications in order to extend their exclusivity and maintain high prices...READ MORE

Product safety is a multifaceted issue for any retailer dealing with the pharmacy and prescriptions, and the systems that are in place to protect the quality and integrity of the goods offered constantly are evolving to strengthen the industry’s defenses...One of the key loopholes between consumers and the dangers of unsafe products, however, is the potential for the introduction of items from other countries that fail to meet the rigorous safety standards of the United States...The Food Safety Modernization Act, which took effect in 2011, sought to close that gap by imposing tighter regulation around the import of foods and ingredients from overseas...Market pressures in the pharmaceutical industry, however, have led officials at both the state and federal levels to explore the possibility of bringing drugs in from other countries at a lower cost, potentially circumventing the Food and Drug Administration’s close oversight of U.S.-made medications...the...National Association of Chain Drug Stores see several potential problems with the import of prescription medications from other countries, including:

Issues around the adequacy, consistency and integrity of the supply;

Issues around quality and safety;

Problems with maintaining dual inventories inside pharmacies;

Burdensome testing requirements;

Costs of establishing an infrastructure for imported drugs; and

Liabilities for injuries caused by imported drugs...READ MORE

Diabetes care is providing a gateway for better interaction between pharmacists and patients...people with diabetes visit the retail pharmacy not only to have their prescriptions filled, but also to learn more about blood sugar levels, A1C testing and self-care... Pharmacists also have to face the challenges of keeping costs down, not just for the retailer, but for the patients as well...Manufacturers said many of the latest innovations can help. The product launches help make blood glucose testing easier, more comfortable and more affordable. As a result, patients can be encouraged to improve their self-care, and also reduce certain costs... Greater involvement in the patient’s health care can improve patient results and hopefully, in the process, buy greater loyalty to the pharmacy that they happen to be working with...There are more than a few pharmacy chains that hire pharmacists not to fill prescriptions, but to work on phones, do medication management, and, when they see an issue, they can call the patient or call the healthcare provider...READ MORE

• Needle innovations
• Beyond testing and injecting
• The future

A report from the EUIPO demonstrated that a shift in the focus of counterfeited goods to include pharmaceutical products has caused significant loss of sales and employment...The European Union Intellectual Property Office has released a report this month regarding 11 analysed sectors in the region, including the pharmaceutical industry...The European Union organisation found that all analysed sectors lost sales as a result infringement of intellectual property rights for a total of €92 bn ($106bn) between 2013 and 2916...the pharma industry suffered the second biggest loss of sales, at €16bn…READ MORE

Canada’s main pharmaceutical (IMC) lobby group has urged the government not to wait for drug shortages before responding to U.S. plans to import Canadian drugs…the Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it would allow U.S. states and other groups to start pilot programs importing cheap drugs from Canada in an effort to lower drug costs...“Wholesalers should not be permitted to export drugs in bulk from Canada, and there should be strict and significant penalties for exporting drugs where their export is prohibited by law,”...“reliance on reactive measures after shortages occur may pose a risk to Canadian patients.”...READ MORE

A self-declared “caravan” of Americans bused across the Canada-U.S. border...seeking affordable prices for insulin and raising awareness of “the insulin price crisis” in the United States...The group called Caravan to Canada started the journey from Minneapolis, Minnesota...and stopped at London, Ontario...to purchase life-saving type 1 diabetes medication at a pharmacy...The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported in May that Canadian pharmacists have seen a “quiet resurgence” in Americans coming to Canada looking for cheaper pharmaceuticals...Quinn Nystrom, a leader of T1International’s Minnesota chapter, said on May via Twitter that the price of insulin in the United States per vial was $320, while in Canada the same medication under a different name was $30...READ MORE

An Oklahoma judge...approved Teva Pharmaceuticals’ revised $85 million settlement with the state over allegations the company helped fuel the nationwide opioid epidemic...decision came after state legislative leaders argued an earlier agreement did not comply with new state laws. Teva had reached an agreement with the state of Oklahoma last month, just two days before the drugmaker was set to face a trial alongside Johnson & Johnson...READ MORE

Retail chains led by CVS Health and Walgreens Boots Alliance are expected to dominate the emerging multi-billion-dollar U.S. market of CBD, the compound derived from cannabis...CBD is gaining in popularity among consumers with the legal CBD market projected to surpass $23 billion in annual U.S. sales by 2023...This year, such sales are projected to be $5 billion - a sevenfold increase over 2018...“The CBD market has been growing rapidly, but we will see unprecedented growth in 2019,”...“The bulk of this growth is coming from large retailers like CVS, Walgreens, and Kroger entering the market and providing that availability to consumers.”...READ MORE

Seizures of tramadol globally have surged from less than 10 kg in 2010 to almost 9 tonnes in 2013 and 125 tonnes in 2017, the report showed, adding that the problem was particularly severe in West, Central and North Africa...Several West African countries have reported that tramadol is one of the most widely used drugs for non-medical purposes after cannabis, which remains by far the most popular globally… Some consume tramadol for its calming, analgesic and anti-fatigue effects in order to improve intellectual, physical and working performances, and to lessen the need for sleep and decrease appetite...In farming communities, there are reports of tramadol being used by humans and fed to cattle to enable them to work under extreme conditions. Others use tramadol as a recreational drug on account of its stimulant and euphoric effects, or to improve sexual stamina...READ MORE

Nicole Grassano, PTNN, Pharmacy Week in Review, this weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.