- Marsh Drugs extends free diabetes medicine program through 2016 (drugstorenews.com)
Marsh Drugs last week extended their Diabetes Care Program throughout 2016...Marsh Diabetes Care supplies seven different diabetes medications for free to any Marsh Drugs patients in Indiana...There is no limit on the number of prescriptions that can be filled and the program covers new prescriptions and refills...The free diabetes medications include:
Glipizide - Glipizide ER - Metformin - Metformin ER - Glimepiride - Glyburide - Glyburide Micronized
As part of the program, Marsh Drugs also provides a free 100-count box of universal lancets with a prescription.
- Pharmacy Robber Sentenced to 141 Months for Conviction on Federal Hobbs Act, Drug Trafficking and Firearms Charges (dea.gov)
Victor Hurtado, 21, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced...in federal court to 141 months in federal prison for his conviction...arising out of a pharmacy robbery...Hurtado will be on supervised release for five years after completing his prison sentence...The indictment...alleged...
- violated the Hobbs Act by interfering with interstate commerce by robbery and violence;
- brandished a firearm during a crime of violence;
- violated the Controlled Substance Registrant Act by robbery involving controlled substance;
- violated the Safe Doses Act by theft of medical products; and
- possessed Oxycodone with intent to distribute.
The charges...arose from...armed robbery of the Smith’s Pharmacy...Albuquerque...Hurtado...jumped over the counter while brandishing a firearm, and ordered the pharmacist to open the safe where controlled substances were kept...admitted pointing the firearm at the pharmacy employees to gain their compliance, and stealing bottles of Oxycodone and other drugs from the pharmacy’s inventory.
- ASHP to Launch Comprehensive Digital Drug Information Resource (ashp.org)
ASHP today announced that it will release a comprehensive suite of its…drug information databases, including AHFS Drug Information®, in early 2016. Recruitment for beta testers will begin during ASHP’s 50th Midyear Clinical Meeting this week in New Orleans…The new product, AHFS® Clinical Drug Information, will provide clinicians with easy access to detailed drug information, including real-time drug and safety updates, direct links to more than 60,000 supporting evidence sources, and in-depth coverage of off-label uses… AHFS Clinical Drug Information will be available via Web browser as well as iOS and Android apps. Individual pricing will begin at $10 per month. The user interface will also integrate into clinical workflow solutions in hospitals and ambulatory care settings.
- Advising Students on Business Plans (pharmacytimes.com)
Bryan Ziegler, PharmD, executive director of Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation Center, talks about what his experience has been like as an adviser for the South Carolina College of Pharmacy student business plan team.
- What’s next for Valeant? (video.cnbc.com)Valeant in new distribution deal with Walgreens (modernhealthcare.com)Walgreens and Valeant Devise a New Twist on Preferred Pharmacy Networks (drugchannels.net)
CNBC's Meg Tirrell talks to Valeant CEO J. Michael Pearson about the company's new distribution deal with Walgreens...
- How A Pharmacy Can Differentiate Itself from Its Competition (pharmacytimes.com)
Liz Tiefenthaler, president of Pharm Fresh Media, talks about some ways a pharmacy can differentiate itself from its competition.
- Pharmacy Students Educate Community on OTC, Natural Products (pharmacytimes.com)
Pharmacy students from the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy at East Tennessee State University recently held a free educational presentation on OTC and natural products…covered more than 2 dozen topics and offered community members a chance to ask questions…“The main inspiration for this event is the community in which ETSU Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy is located. We are within the heart of Appalachia where there is very prominent use of alternative medicine, such as supplements, herbal products, and natural products,”…“This is heavily engrained within our culture, and the goal of this presentation is to better inform our community.”…the students’ presentation would help the community understand that there are some potential risks associated with alternative medicine…“We hope to make them more informed and more capable of using these therapies in a safe manner,”…
- HHS partners with pharmacies to enroll more people in ObamaCare (pharmacist.com)HHS partners with nation’s largest pharmacies to promote Health Insurance Marketplace (hhs.gov)
Partners represent more than 38,000 pharmacies across the country...Department of Health & Human Services announced that it is partnering with pharmacies across the United States in an effort to sign up more individuals for ObamaCare health coverage for 2016 as the deadline fast approaches...Participating pharmacies, including CVS Health, Good Neighbor Pharmacy, Thrifty White, Rite Aid, and Walgreens, will make people aware of health insurance options through the online health insurance marketplace...Participating pharmacies will have trained enrollment personnel available to work directly with consumers in the stores. Pharmacies will also host local enrollment events and distribute educational resources about their health insurance options through the online marketplace...
- Strength in Numbers Cardiologists recognize the value of pharmacists on the healthcare team as they push for provider status. (aacp.org)The Role of the Clinical Pharmacist in the Care of Patients With Cardiovascular Disease Abstract (sub req) (sciencedirect.com)
The American College of Cardiology has recognized pharmacists as advanced practice providers, valuable to cardiovascular team-based care…sees this as an inspiring time, encouraging other historically physician-driven, non-pharmacist organizations to support pharmacists, as they push for healthcare provider status…“ACC recognizes that there’s a shortage of cardiologists,”…The ACC recognizes that there’s a lot of work to go around but not enough cardiologists to do it. They see the benefit of advanced practice providers, which includes pharmacists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and they believe that’s the way to make it happen…to offer care where care isn’t being given.”… With the ACC’s backing, there’s hope that other non-pharmacist organizations will support pharmacists...
- E-mails reveal concerns about Theranos’s FDA compliance date back years (washingtonpost.com)Surprise: Theranos CEO Says Company Is Doing More Tests Than Ever (forbes.com)A comprehensive guide to Theranos’s troubles and what it means for you (washingtonpost.com)Hot Startup Theranos Has Struggled With Its Blood-Test Technology (req sub) (wsj.com)
Years before Theranos…came under harsh public scrutiny in October, a military official raised concerns that the secretive company was violating federal law…E-mail correspondence obtained by the Post reveals that an official evaluating Theranos’s signature blood-testing technology for the Department of Defense sounded the alarm in 2012 and launched a formal inquiry with the Food and Drug Administration about the company’s intent to distribute its tests without FDA clearance — a problem that has resurfaced this year, leading Theranos to temporarily stop offering almost all of its tests...In October, a Wall Street Journal investigation revealed the company was running most of its tests on devices made by other firms instead of its own “breakthrough” technology. The Journal reported that former Theranos employees and executives of Safeway had questioned the accuracy of the tests.