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Join Together Northern Nevada teamed up…with UNR's Medical School to educate community members about a Sacramento-based pilot program that's treating addiction with a non-narcotic, non-addictive drug (naltrexone)…Prescription drug abuse is the number one growing problem in the country and Nevada is one of the highest-ranked states when it comes to prescription painkillers…"It's a big problem; we're the number two prescriber of oxycodone and hydrocodone in the nation,"…"People may not want to intentionally abuse prescription drugs but let's say they get injured, they take a narcotic prescription painkiller and become addicted to it, then they just keep coming back for more."...

James Schiffer, RPh, associate at Allegaert Berger & Vogel LLC, talks about the 18 times he was burglarized over the course of his career.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals rout put specialty pharmacies under an unwelcome spotlight. But though Valeant's own close relationship with Philidor RX may be an unusual one--a host of Big Pharma and Big Biotech companies have now denied similar arrangements--tight links between drug marketing and specialty pharmacies are increasingly common industry wide…Valeant is hardly alone in depending on a specialty pharmacy for sales success. What began as a technique for getting "complex, costly drugs"--often orphan meds for rare diseases--to the appropriate patients has become a broadly used marketing technique…Pharma's pricing and marketing moves are going to stay on center stage for some time.

Food and Drug Administration recently approved…PCSK9 inhibitors…These novel biologic agents offer the promise of reductions in blood cholesterol levels. This broad indication sets the practice of cardiology on a collision course with specialty pharmaceutical pricing models…At its core, the current pricing model for these products is driven by a transformation in the pharmaceutical industry, whereby 84% of prescriptions are filled with generic products and follow-on biologics have the potential to disrupt many established markets and firms…for most firms, future revenue expectations hinge on novel therapies…without the potential for outsized returns, capital might not be available for early innovation in biotechnology. Pricing pressure on innovative products would drive a fundamental restructuring of the industry and further increase the financial challenges of bringing scientific innovations to the market. It is important that we manage these downside risks carefully as we work toward a more sustainable pricing model in this market.

Next week, on October 27 and 28, the FDA Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee is reviewing ten (nine) active pharmaceutical ingredients to be included on the list of approved bulk drugs that traditional compounders can use in preparing prescriptions. As required within 503A, a bulk ingredient must have an applicable USP monograph, be a component of an FDA approved drug, or be added to an official list authorized by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The ten (nine) drugs to be reviewed were nominated by stakeholders…in response to formal requests issued by the agency…FDA has released documents for the PCAC that show their recommendations on each of the nominated drugs. (each item, FDA does not recommend addition to the approved bulk ingredient list)

1. Methylsulfonylmethane
2. Curcumin
3. Germanium Sesquioxide
4. Rubidium Chloride
5. Deoxy-D-Glucose
6. Alanyl–L-Glutamine
7. Glycyrrhizin
8. Glutaraldehyde
9. Domperidone

Brian Haug, President of Pharmacy and Managed Markets, Pharmacy Times (PTNN) This weekly video program highlights the latest in pharmacy news, product news, and more. (video)

..Imprimis says it will offer a compounded drug that includes Daraprim's active ingredient--pyrimethamine--in capsules starting at $99 for a 100-count bottle. The company is also starting a program to work with payers, pharmacy benefits managers and purchasing groups to offer patient-specific formulations "at prices that ensure accessibility."…The compounded drug isn't an exact copy; it also includes the ingredient leucovorin, which…helps to combat pyrimethamine's negative effects on bone marrow…After the meningitis outbreak linked to the New England Compounding Center, new regulations tightened up on distribution of compounded drugs, which aren't specifically approved by the FDA. Compounded meds can only be dispensed on specific prescriptions for specific patients, rather than distributed in bulk as FDA-approved products are...

Ron Lanton with True North Political Solutions interviews Jennifer Mallon, VP & General Counsel of NCPA (National Community Pharmacists Association) on the Health Policy Check-up segment. Ms. Mallon gives great insight on the status of PBM (pharmacy benefit manager) litigation in IA and AR that affects pharmacy.  (podcast 19 min)

Enforcement officers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency have seized approximately half a million doses of unlicensed erectile dysfunction medicines, with an estimated value of more than £1 million ($1.5m), during a raid on in Datchet, Slough...A 37 year old man has been arrested… The news comes less than two months after Sundeep Amin from Essex was sentenced to 16 months in prison after MHRA officers seized £900,000 worth of falsified ED drugs en route from India..

…complaints might be dismissed as growing pains, born of resistance to change. But transitional chaos must be distinguished from enduring harm…the EHR's limitations and why they've been largely ignored, one key barrier is that physicians who voice reservations are labeled "technophobic, resistant, and uncooperative." But in fact…most physicians recognize the potential of EHRs and appreciate such features as the ability to view data remotely. Nevertheless, the researchers found remarkable EHR-induced distress. They conclude, "No other industry, to our knowledge, has been under a universal mandate to adopt a new technology before its effects are fully understood, and before the technology has reached a level of usability that is acceptable to its core users."...What this surgeon and the rest of us need are patient records that communicate meaning and foster understanding of the particular patient in question. The blanks on our screens can be filled with words, but the process of understanding cannot be auto-populated. Perhaps life without the EHR will soon be unimaginable. But the technology will support and improve medical care only if it evolves in ways that help, rather than hinder, us in synthesizing, analyzing, thinking critically, and telling the stories of our patients.