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Walgreens...announced that it has installed 50 safe medication disposal kiosks in Walgreens drug stores across California, representing the first of two programs in California to combat drug abuse...By making safe medication disposal kiosks available in select California stores and expanding to other states this year, Walgreens is taking an important first step to curb the misuse of medications throughout the country...As a pharmacy, we are committed to playing a role in what must be a comprehensive solution to prevent prescription drug and opioid abuse…To kick off the launch of the safe medication disposal program in California, Walgreens will host a series of events with local lawmakers working to fight the drug abuse crisis in the state leading up to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 30…Walgreens also is working to make naloxone, a potentially lifesaving opioid antidote, available without requiring a prescription from an individual’s physician at California pharmacies. The medication is currently available with a prescription in California and can be used in the event of an overdose to reverse the effects of heroin or other opioid drugs, and is administered by injection or nasal spray.

Mike Glaicar, Business Development: Pharmacy Times...(PTNN) This weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.

Critics of how prescription painkillers are administered in the U.S. are calling on health officials to phase out hospital procedures and questionnaires used to manage pain...They say the current system inadvertently encourages the overprescribing of addictive drugs like Vicodin and OxyContin, fueling an epidemic of overdoses tied to the opioid medications. Deaths linked to misuse and abuse of prescription opioids increased to nearly 19,000 in 2014, the highest figure on record, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...More than five dozen nonprofit groups and medical experts sent a letter...to the Joint Commission, a nonprofit agency that accredits U.S. hospitals, asking it to revisit its standards for pain management...The letter specifically takes issue with guidelines instructing doctors to ask patients to assess their pain...Aggressive management of pain should not be equated with quality health care as it can result in unhelpful and unsafe treatment...a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation that would eliminate the connection between pain survey questions and the payment rates hospitals receive from Medicare.

MURs are carried out by pharmacists, who offer patients health, diet and medicines management advice....The NHS pays £28 ($39) for each MUR (medication utilization review) carried out; MURs are capped at 400 per pharmacy to prevent abuse...Boots stores have been found to be using that number as a target to aim for, rather than a maximum...pharmacists...reported being pressured into conducting MURs whether patients needed them or not...With...big companies answering to shareholders before patients, there really is the risk of profits being the highest priority before patient care...It’s always a risk when we have a shareholder interest being first and foremost...restrictions in Australia to limit pharmacy ownership to pharmacists, they’re accountable to the public as they’re registered health professionals under a national scheme...Australian guidelines could offer protection to any pharmacists subject to similar pressure to provide services...We (pharmacists) have a responsibility, with taxpayer funds, that they’re used appropriately in targeting the right patients to get the best outcomes...Directing pharmacists to undertake, or be expected to deliver a certain number of reviews, irrespective of the suitability or eligibility of that patient, could possibly be considered incitement or directing unprofessional conduct under the national law...Boots makes it clear to staff that services should not be carried out ‘inappropriately’...All of its staff are ‘empowered’ to use their professional judgement to assess the appropriateness of offering services...

A new partnership between savings program company Medical Security Card’s ScriptSave WellRx app and medication management company SinfoníaRx will bring on-demand pharmacist access to users of the savings program app...ScriptSave WellRx app users can use a click-to-call feature that will connect them to one of SinfoníaRx’s on-call pharmacist, who will answer patients’ questions about their prescriptions, medication interactions and OTC drugs...Our ability to help patients by leveraging the latest technology makes this partnership with MSC a natural fit...Our companies share the same goal — to ensure patients follow their prescribed medication regimens to achieve better health outcomes. The ScriptSave WellRx app also gives patients the ability to reduce their out-of-pocket drug costs, which can be a huge barrier to medication adherence and improved health...SinfoníaRx's pharmacists bring an important component to ScriptSave WellRx, offering medication information to our members if they have a question about drug interaction, dosage or alternatives...

Maine Gov. Paul LePage has signed into law a bill that mandates electronic prescribing for controlled substances. Maine is the second state to do so. In New York the mandate took effect on March 27...An Act To Prevent Opiate Abuse by Strengthening the Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program requires prescriber participation in the Prescription Monitoring Program and sets limits for the strength and duration of opioid prescriptions, beginning January 2017...also calls for prescribers to undergo addiction training every two years...The new law also makes Maine the third state in the nation to set a cap on the daily strength of opioid prescriptions

ASHP created a Women in Pharmacy Leadership Steering Committee to help guide ASHP’s efforts in providing services and support for women pharmacists as they seek leadership positions...Professional opportunities to conduct direct patient care combined with flexible scheduling and six-figure salaries have drawn more...women into the profession...ASHP is preparing for the future of the pharmacy workforce by identifying and addressing barriers to female leadership...To jumpstart the process of building a new generation of female pharmacy leaders, ASHP held several live networking events at both its 2015 Conference for Pharmacy Leaders...and its 2015 Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition...The moderators...shared their own professional experiences and provided insights into ways to grow into leadership. The events served to connect younger women in the early stages of their careers with positive role models...gender shifts and generational changes have a real potential to change the profession...We need to cultivate a new generation of leaders at every level—clinical, administrative, academic pharmacy, and more. And to do that, we need a candid and thorough assessment of the needs that women pharmacists have and the opportunities for advancement…

London Drugs announced...that it would be holding 15 oral health screening clinics in the Vancouver metro area between April 25 and May 18. The clinic initiative follows a successful pilot...which featured what the chain said was the first oral cancer screening in a pharmacy..."What began as a three clinic trial with a dental professional in collaboration with our pharmacists in April 2015, quickly grew to 12 clinics in a matter of weeks, during our first ever attempt at this program,"..."There is clearly demand for the oral screening and continued need for awareness of oral cancer and oral cancer prevention."...the sixth most-common cancer in the world..."London Drugs' clinics bring incredible awareness to oral cancer screening and the importance of early detection,"..."The best way to monitor your oral health is to work with your dental care provider either at the dental office or at a screening clinic such as the one offered at London Drugs. This program is especially popular among individuals who might not regularly visit a dentist."...Screenings are done by appointment and cost $25, with $5 being donated to the BC Oral Cancer Prevention Program.

A congressional committee is proposing an amendment to a spending bill that may intensify the debate over the safety of compounded medicines...The House Appropriations Committee has introduced language that would alter a key requirement for pharmacists to make and dispense compounded medicines, which are generally customized for specific patient needs. And the language runs counter to a draft guidance that the US Food and Drug Administration released...that would govern compounding practices...Specifically, the amendment would allow pharmacists to compound medicines without needing prescriptions for individual patients. This has been a contentious issue in the wake of the 2012 outbreak of fungal meningitis that was tied to a compounding pharmacy and led to 64 deaths. The episode underscored confusion between federal and state oversight of compounders...the Drug Quality and Security Act went into effect to sort out enforcement authority...it...created two classes of compounders — traditional compounders who make medicines for individual patients, and others who resemble drug makers by making large amounts of a drug. These compounders must register with the FDA and are subject to greater federal oversight...The Pew Charitable Trusts...argued that the language proposed by the House committee would blur that distinction. And the nonprofit contended the change could jeopardize public safety...International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists..."The FDA continues to ignore clear congressional intent where the states have clearly indicated pathways in which pharmacies can participate in office-use compounding. The 2017 appropriations bill reinforces this intent."..."FDA’s draft guidance on anticipatory compounding is confusing at best and may ignore the clear language of bill when it comes to defining this practice,"…

Current political debates...have highlighted specialty pharmacy in a less than favorable manner. When stories in national publications focus on the "Pharma Bro" and question relationships between pharmaceutical manufacturers and specialty pharmacies, we are bound to receive negative attention...The challenges we are currently facing could have dire consequences, and it is because of these challenges that we must participate in advocating for our industry. As a profession, we need to invest our time to gather together, speak up, and interact with our government officials at all levels...As a voice for our industry, we are a voice for our patients. We have the ability and responsibility to speak up, not only for ourselves, but also for the individuals who trust us with their care...Access and affordability of specialty medications are critical. Our patients have unique needs, as well as safety and care issues, and we must be a voice for them on the legislative and regulatory side...The key to winning the hearts and minds of legislators is approaching legislative issues the same way you approach your work every day: patients first. Demonstrate that your primary goal is having a positive impact on your patients’ well-being rather than your own bottom line...For more information on this topic, I encourage you to attend the panel, "The Practice of Specialty Pharmacy and Our Government Representatives" at the upcoming Armada Specialty Pharmacy Summit, on May 3, 2016. Armada, the largest US conference for specialty pharmacy, is an opportunity to learn about relevant industry topics, network with peers, and gain real insight into key issues...