Canadian Online Drug Seller, Pharmacist Employed by PharmacyChecker Under Fire From US Authorities
A United States district court in Montana indicted Canada Drugs last week with charges related to the selling of $78 million worth of unapproved, mislabeled, and counterfeit drugs to US doctors over three years. Most of the drugs specified in the indictment were cancer treatments or medications to treat the effects of chemotherapy, reports CBC […]
Read More ›Pharmacists Help Heart Patients With Medication Adherence
Pharmacists in one study made a significant impact in helping heart patients stick to their medication regimens, report researchers. A multidisciplinary team at the US Department of Veterans Affairs talked to patients from a previous study who adhered to their medications after suffering an acute coronary syndrome, or an episode when blood is blocked from […]
Read More ›Pharmacists Help Hypertension Patients Lower Blood Pressure, Study Finds
When medical care teams include pharmacists, hypertension patients fare better, suggests a new study. The study found that when a clinical pharmacist collaborated with a physician for the care of patients with high blood pressure, those patients showed a blood pressure drop compared with patients who did not have pharmacist care, reports Drug Topics. The […]
Read More ›NABP Stresses Need for Accountability in Enforcing Internet Policies to Protect the Public From Illegal Online Drug Sellers
Last week, NABP issued a report urging greater accountability by the stakeholders charged with ensuring that action is taken against websites illegally selling medications online. As detailed in the Internet Drug Outlet Identification Program Progress Report for State and Federal Regulators: July 2015 (PDF), thousands of websites illegally distribute medications and avoid retribution. Such sites […]
Read More ›Ohio Pharmacists Can Now Dispense Naloxone Without a Prescription
Ohio pharmacists are among the latest in the country to be allowed to dispense naloxone, a drug that reverses opioid overdose, without a prescription. Last week, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed into law modifications to Section 4729.44 of the Ohio Revised Code and Rule 4729-5-39 of the Ohio Administrative Code allowing pharmacists to dispense the […]
Read More ›Technology Abounds for Combating Counterfeit Meds, Abuse
With prescription drug abuse and the online counterfeit medicine trade both at epidemic levels, a host of tech companies have introduced products designed to keep patients safe. One such company is EMD Serono, the biopharmaceutical division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Its new smartphone app helps health care providers or patients identify legitimate medications. Those […]
Read More ›New Jersey Law Toughens State PMP Requirements for Pharmacists
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie recently signed into law a bill that will require prescribers and pharmacists to register for the state’s prescription monitoring program (PMP) and to check the database that tracks controlled substance (CS) prescriptions under certain situations. The legislation, S-1998, includes the following requirements: Pharmacists will be required to consult the state […]
Read More ›Online Drug Company Returns Profits Made From Illegal Prescription Sales
An online prescription drug seller has agreed to forfeit $450,000 in illegal sales after knowingly dispensing medication without a prescription. The United States Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Kentucky reports that the seller, Aracoma Drug Company of West Virginia, received electronic, invalid prescriptions from June 2009 to April 2012. These prescriptions were issued […]
Read More ›Reading Medicine Labels Helps Reduce Acetaminophen Overdose, Advises Coalition
With half of all acetaminophen overdoses being unintentional, the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition reminds pharmacists and other health care providers to encourage patients to properly read medicine labels. The coalition’s Know Your Dose campaign reminds patients to: Read and follow the label Check whether a medicine contains acetaminophen Take only one medicine at a time that […]
Read More ›California, Oregon to Allow Pharmacists to Dispense Birth Control Under New Rules
California and Oregon will soon become the only two states in the country where patients can obtain hormonal contraceptives directly from pharmacists without a prescription. Both Oregon’s House Bill (HB) 2879 (PDF) and revisions to California’s Code of Regulations, require pharmacists to review a brief health questionnaire before dispensing the contraceptives. In California, pharmacists must […]
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