Category:

Despite increased access to naloxone, many individuals in rural communities continue to face barriers to obtaining the medication…However, informed pharmacists can serve as an educational resource, even if their pharmacies do not have the medication in stock...Ongoing efforts to expand prescribing methods through the United States have helped to improve naloxone accessibility. In Georgia, specifically, a standing order decrees that any individual may obtain naloxone from a licensed pharmacy without a prescription. Despite the standing order, pharmacies have been slow to adopt stocking naloxone and dispensing the medication…READ MORE

Pharmacists remain at the top of the Gallup’s annual survey of professionals that rank the highest in “honesty and ethics”...For the 18th year in a row, nurses ranked as the most trusted professionals, as 85% of Americans say their honesty and ethical standards are "very high" or “high”. Engineers placed second at 66%, followed by medical doctors (65%), and pharmacists (64%)...“Medical professions in general rate highly in Americans' assessments of honesty and ethics, with at least 6 in 10 US adults saying medical doctors, pharmacists, and dentists have high levels of these virtues,”...READ MORE

The 2019 novel coronavirus, named 2019-nCoV, continues to dominate headlines as more cases emerge in the United States. As of February 5, the CDC has confirmed 11 positive tests of the virus in US patients...READ MORE

Here is a roundup of the latest coronavirus-related news:

1. Pharmacists are running short on surgical masks due to coronavirus fears, according to a new survey.
2. FDA issues emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first 2019-nCoV diagnostic.
3. Gilead Sciences is donating its experimental antiviral drug remdesivir for clinical trials involving patients with coronavirus in China.
4. Department of Health and Human Services will collaborate with Regeneron to develop treatment.

Tedder (Ryan Tedder ) confirmed...he teamed up to buy the Walgreens building across from Park MGM, and that his investors on the deal included DJ duo the Chainsmokers...The $38 million sale by Walgreen Co., which bought the building in June from its former landlord for $30 million and flipped it, closed last month, property records show...Drugstores on tourist-choked Las Vegas Boulevard are big business, commanding outsize rents, strong retail sales and, as the recent purchase shows, high property values...Illinois-based Walgreen Co. had listed its 15,000-square-foot building on Las Vegas Boulevard between Tropicana and Harmon avenues for $40 million...READ MORE

Although drug shortages due to the novel coronavirus disease outbreak haven’t occurred yet, the FDA and pharmacists are closely watching for potential shortages. Separately, pharmacists should urge Americans to get flu vaccinations and take a cautious approach with coronavirus…“While our primary concern is the health and safety of those affected by the virus, ASHP is concerned with the vulnerability of the pharmaceutical supply chain to threats like the coronavirus outbreak,” Michael Ganio, PharmD, BCPS, director of pharmacy practice and quality at ASHP...An estimated 80% of active pharmaceutical ingredient used in the US market comes from foreign sources. In addition, the FDA has recalled inspectors from China due to the outbreak, which could possibly lead to delays in manufacturing...READ MORE

Christina Mattina, welcome to This Week in Managed Care from the Managed Markets News Network

Walgreens has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a consumer protection lawsuit brought by California authorities who said the company employed an unlicensed pharmacist for more than a decade...The action is in response to a complaint filed by the district attorneys of Alameda and Santa Clara counties that alleges Kim Thien Le worked as a pharmacist in multiple Walgreens locations in the Bay Area for more than 10 years though she was not licensed by the Board of Pharmacy...While working as a pharmacist, Le participated in filling more than 745,000 prescriptions, including more than 100,000 for controlled substances,..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.

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.

Traditional drug store chains are feeling the pressure from new digital players such as Amazon and e-pharmacy startups like Capsule and NowRx...As competition from digital rivals continues to grow, CVS and Walgreens are embracing retail healthcare and expanding their healthcare offerings by adding value-based care and outpatient services…READ MORE

Here are three things the drug chains are doing to compete with digital rivals:

• In-store health services
• Prescription drug delivery
• Possible privatization