Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee Members Announced by FDA
Food and Drug Administration has announced the names of the fourteen members of the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee. These individuals will serve as advisors on scientific, technical, and medical issues concerning drug compounding under sections 503A and 503B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as amended by the Drug Quality and Security Act of […]
Read More ›Some Pharmacies in Maryland Will Soon Begin Dispensing Naloxone
In Maryland, some chain pharmacies will soon begin stocking and dispensing the opioid overdose reversal medication, naloxone, according to the state’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH). Under the state’s Overdose Response Program, launched by DHMH, local entities are authorized to train and certify qualified individuals to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose […]
Read More ›South Carolina Council Calls for PMP Participation to Reduce Prescription Drug Abuse
Physicians should be required to register with South Carolina’s prescription monitoring program (PMP) database, recommends Governor Nikki Haley’s Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Council, a committee charged in March with creating a plan to fight the state’s prescription drug abuse problem. South Carolina’s PMP was established in 2008, but prescriber registration is voluntary, and only 21% have […]
Read More ›FDA Issues Final and Revised Draft Documents for Compounding Facilities Under DQSA
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued three additional guidance documents to help compounding entities register as outsourcing facilities. The policy documents also provide guidance for complying with other provisions of the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA). The new documents are: Final guidance (PDF) on registration of human drug compounding outsourcing facilities under Section […]
Read More ›FDA Approves New Abuse-Deterrent Single-Entity Hydrocodone Product
FDA has approved a new opioid analgesic medication with abuse-deterrent properties that make the drug difficult to crush, break, or dissolve. The new medication, Hysingla® ER (hydrocodone bitartrate) is an extended-release medication intended to treat pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate. The abuse-deterrent […]
Read More ›Pennsylvania Naloxone Law Goes into Effect This Week
Beginning November 29, 2014, pharmacies in Pennsylvania may be requested to fill standing orders or prescriptions for the opioid reversal drug naloxone to first responders and friends and family of those at risk. Pennsylvania’s Act 139, signed by Governor Tom Corbett on September 30, 2014, also provides immunity from prosecution for those responding to and […]
Read More ›WHO Recommends Increased Naloxone Access Worldwide
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidelines aimed at reducing the number of opioid-related deaths globally. The recommendations include expanding access to naloxone, the drug that can help to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, for people who are most likely to witness an overdose in their communities, including friends, family members, […]
Read More ›Final Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Collects 617,150 Pounds of Unwanted Medications
Over 600,000 pounds of unneeded, unwanted, or expired prescription medications were properly disposed of during the final Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, held September 27, 2014. DEA and its law enforcement partners provided 5,495 collection sites across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and United States territories, DEA reports. Following […]
Read More ›Prescription Opioids Involved in Most ED Overdoses, Study Finds
Prescription opioid medications are involved in over 67% of overdose cases in emergency departments, according to a national study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The study, “Presentation of Prescription and Nonprescription Opioid Overdoses to US Emergency Departments,” also found that many patients who overdosed shared common coexisting illnesses, including chronic mental, circulatory, and respiratory diseases, […]
Read More ›San Francisco Considers Ordinance to Require Drug Manufacturers to Pay for Disposal
Supervisors in San Francisco are considering a city ordinance that would require drug manufacturers to fund disposal programs for unwanted prescription drugs. San Francisco attempted to create a similar manufacturer-funded program in 2010, but ultimately established a “slimmed-down version” that did not require pharmaceutical company participation. A similar measure in Alameda County was previously implemented; […]
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