CVS pharmacies in West Virginia have stopped selling single-ingredient pseudoephedrine cold medications as part of an effort to hinder criminals who use the drug to make illegal methamphetamine, reports the Charleston Gazette. The ban applies to all 50 CVS pharmacies in the state, as well as 40 stores that are within 15 miles of West […]

Setting out a four-part science-based strategy for reducing illicit drug use, the White House 2014 National Drug Control Strategy (PDF) includes a focus on reducing heroin and prescription painkiller abuse and overdose, which have spiked dramatically in recent years. Released annually, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) strategy document serves as a national […]

Under revisions to the Kansas Pharmacy Practice Act, pharmacists may now collaborate with physicians to manage patients’ medication therapies. Both parties must act under the provisions outlined in a written collaborative practice agreement between the pharmacist and physician, explains the Kansas State Board of Pharmacy. The new provisions codify the informal agreements that many physicians […]

Under a final rule (PDF) published in the Federal Register, the pain reliever tramadol is now classified as a Schedule IV controlled substance (CS). Starting August 18, 2014, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will require manufacturers to print the “C-IV” designation on all labels that contain 2- [(dimethylamino)methyl]-1-(3-methoxyphenyl)cyclohexanol (tramadol), including its salts, isomers, and salts of […]

Brick-and-mortar versions of rogue online pharmacies are popping up across the country, particularly in places like Florida where senior populations are high. However, these shops, called “facilitators,” carry the same risks as their virtual counterparts, warns Carmen Catizone, MS, RPh, DPh, NABP executive director/secretary, in an interview with CNBC. NABP has reviewed more than 10,750 […]

A number of policy and law enforcement measures helped reduce Florida’s prescription drug overdose death rate by 23% from 2010 to 2012, reports Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Following a 61% spike in Florida’s overdose death rate from 1,804 in 2003, to 2,905 in 2009, the state enacted laws requiring legitimate pain clinics […]

Often distributed by rogue Internet drug outlets, counterfeit medications containing antibiotics are feeding a “global epidemic” of antibiotic-resistant infections, states an investigative report from Bloomberg. The report cites a new surveillance program led by the World Health Organization that has found counterfeit antibiotics to be a growing problem in all regions of the world, and not […]

A legislative package of 11 bills targeting prescription drug and opioid abuse has been approved by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The series of bills includes “Good Samaritan” protections for individuals who administer an opioid antagonist like naloxone, the medication that can reverse the effects of an overdose. According to a press release from the […]

Reviewing the dosing behaviors that can lead to acetaminophen overdose, a new report and educational resource aimed at encouraging safe and appropriate use of America’s most common drug ingredient has been released. “Acetaminophen: How It’s Used, Preventing Overdose and What We Can Do to Promote Safe Use” reviews research related to common dosing mistakes that […]