- December 13 Pharmacy Week in Review (pharmacytimes.com)
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.
- Hundreds of thousands of Nevadans will now be in network at major Las Vegas hospital (thenevadaindependent.com)
Two national health care industry behemoths have ended a yearslong standoff and reached an agreement that will bring a major Las Vegas hospital in network for hundreds of thousands of patients insured by some of Nevada’s largest health plans...Patients insured by Health Plan of Nevada, Sierra Health and Life and Sierra Health-Care Options — subsidiaries of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare — will be able to visit Sunrise Health System’s hospitals, urgent care centers, surgery centers and free-standing emergency rooms, part of the hospital giant HCA’s system, at in-network rates beginning Jan. 1...The lack of a contract between the two companies had left thousands of Nevadans insured under the plans vulnerable to out-of-network bills, particularly at Sunrise Hospital, which, as one of three trauma centers in Las Vegas, often receives patients in critical condition unable to make choices about which hospital they want to go to...READ MORE
- FDA Approving Drugs at Breakneck Speed, Raising Alarm (msn.com)
The U.S. is approving new drugs so fast that companies are now preparing for a green light months in advance of the scheduled decision date, a pace that’s helping patients with rare or untreatable diseases but raising alarm among consumer advocates...“It isn’t that we changed our policies and are saying we are going to approve drugs faster,” said Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research...“The difference now is we are going to see more of those because of the science. If there are people out there with no options and they have terrible diseases, we are going to get those drugs to them as fast as feasible.”...READ MORE
- FDA Warns 15 Companies Selling CBD Products (ptcommunity.com)
The FDA has issued warning letters to 15 companies for illegally selling products containing cannabidiol in ways that violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act...“We remain concerned that some people wrongly think that the myriad of CBD products on the market, many of which are illegal, have been evaluated by the FDA and determined to be safe, or that trying CBD ‘can’t hurt,’” said FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Amy Abernethy,...“Aside from one prescription drug approved to treat two pediatric epilepsy disorders, these products have not been approved by the FDA and we want to be clear that a number of questions remain regarding CBD’s safety—including reports of products containing contaminants, such as pesticides and heavy metals— and there are real risks that need to be considered.”...READ MORE
- Industry ‘resistance’ to disruption by advanced therapeutics (biopharma-reporter.com)
Speaking at,,,the Pharma Integrates conference...Ettore Cucchetti, CEO of ACG Inspection, stated that the industry shows signs of ‘resistance’, which obstructs the resolution of challenges in the supply chain...“There is a fear among pharmaceutical companies facing the disruption that the advanced medicine have brought to the industry, and the changes required in the supply chain,”...According to Cucchetti, “Due to the existing profit model, leaders of big companies prefer to keep the focus on R&D and productivity,” and do not prioritize investment in the supply chain, even though “there is a lot of room for improvement.”...READ MORE
- California Bill Increases Pharmacist Powers – New bill allows pharmacists to initiate HIV medication. (drugtopics.com)SB-159 HIV: preexposure and postexposure prophylaxis. (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law last month new legislation that allows pharmacists in the state to initiate and dispense HIV medication without a prescription. The law, SB159, was amended to say that “a pharmacist may initiate and furnish HIV preexposure prophylaxis” and “a pharmacist may initiate and furnish HIV postexposure prophylaxis.” Previously, only pharmacists in specific collaborative practice agreements were able to dispense the drugs independently.In order to dispense either preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), pharmacists will need to complete a boardapproved training program, according to the law...READ MORE
- This Week in Managed Care: December 6, 2019 (ajmc.com)
Laura Joszt, Managing Editor at The American Journal of Managed Care. Welcome to This Week in Managed Care from the Managed Markets News Network
- Opinion: Why you should worry about drug companies’ reliance on Chinese ingredients (latimes.com)2019 REPORT TO CONGRESS of the U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION (uscc.gov)
China has become the world’s largest producer and exporter of “active pharmaceutical ingredients,”...China’s dominance puts both the health of Americans and our national security at risk...a new report from the U.S.-China Economic Security Review Commission...China’s pharmaceutical industry “is not effectively regulated by the Chinese government” and has been responsible for a number of drug safety scandals...Our dependence on Chinese pharmaceutical products, the commission concluded, means “the American public, including its armed forces, are at risk of exposure to contaminated and dangerous medicines.”...READ MORE
- Automation, tech companies rethink pharmacy pain points (drugstorenews.com)The Future of Pharmacy Automation (drugtopics.com)The Pros and Cons of Pharmacy Automation (drugtopics.com)
Pharmacists have taken their rightful place in the delivery of health care, engaging with patients and making a noticeable improvement in their patients’ health outcomes. As the clinical role of pharmacists has grown, so too has the imperative to fill an ever-increasing number of prescriptions in a day. As a result, pharmacy technology and automation companies are stepping up to the plate to ensure that pharmacists can juggle their role successfully...READ MORE
- Speeding up Dispensing
- Rethinking Processes
- Software and Workflow
- December 6 Pharmacy Week in Review (pharmacytimes.com)
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.