New pharmacy society offers “third tier” of specialty drug manufacture
As of July 1, 63 patients had died of fungal meningitis and 749 more had become gravely ill after tainted steroids manufactured by the New England Compounding Center were administered last fall to...
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Researchers explore drug combinations that reduce adverse effects
Researchers using data from the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) have hypothesized that certain drug combinations can be used to mitigate serious adverse events. They have tested their...
View ArticleDrug safety and efficacy data lacking for neonates
Despite some key pieces of federal legislation passed in recent years, most drugs—about 93%—are still not studied in neonates. Of those drugs that researchers have studied in this vulnerable...
View ArticleAAP updates guidance on off-label drug use
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a policy statement updating its recommendations for off-label drug use in the pediatric population. The statement entitled “Off-label use of drugs...
View ArticleCDC reports injections of oral rotavirus vaccine
Incidences involving oral vaccine for protecting children against rotavirus gastroenteritis mistakenly being injected are increasing, according to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)....
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Drugs’ impact on kids’ bone health mostly unknown
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) looked at what’s lacking in research on drugs in children and discovered that much more information is needed on how various medications affect bone...
View ArticleAvoid dosing errors: Lose the spoon, go metric
Parents often make dosing errors when giving their children liquid medication, but switching to metric measurements, rather than teaspoons or tablespoons, can help prevent mistakes, according to a...
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Safety of new drugs questioned by researchers
Dr Frank Physicians and patients should avoid new drugs unless they are truly breakthrough drugs, according to a study in Health Affairs.“FDA needs to make sure drugs are safe before they're approved...
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[BLOG]: Medications are the new battlefield and pharmacists are the best...
Medication-related problems (MRPs) can be a significant patient safety risk, particularly in hospitalized patients. One method used to minimize this safety concern is through medication...
View ArticleFDA warning: Case of rare brain infection PML with MS drug Tecfidera
FDA is warning that a patient with multiple sclerosis (MS) who was being treated with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), developed progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare and serious...
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FDA updates labeling of drugs for pregnant and lactating women
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a final rule altering how the labels for physicians on prescription drugs and biological products provide information for pregnant and...
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How much of pharmacy theory is really based on science?
Dennis MillerThe long and sometimes peculiar history of the pharmacy profession has included salves, potions, powders, tinctures, and elixirs of doubtful safety and effectiveness. Has our profession...
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A health plan tackles opioid addiction
At least one health plan has taken big steps to curb the growing opioid addiction problem in the U.S. as reflected in a recent report by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The NCHS...
View ArticleFDA updates Chantix label to include possible alcohol interaction
FDA has warned that the smoking cessation drug varenicline (Chantix) can interact with alcohol, resulting in some patients experiencing increased intoxicating effects of alcohol, sometimes associated...
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Be vigilant of counterfeit version of Botox found in United States
A counterfeit version of onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) was found in the United States and may have been sold to physicians’ offices and medical clinics nationwide. This version is considered unsafe and...
View ArticleFDA, PatientsLikeMe partner on drug safety data
FDA and PatientsLikeMe will partner to determine how patient-reported data can give new insights into drug safety. Related: The 4 most problematic drug shortages Under the collaboration,...
View ArticleFDA warns about problems with Proglycem in infants
FDA is warning that diazoxide (Proglycem) for low blood sugar has caused pulmonary hypertension (high pressure in the blood vessels leading to the lungs) in infants and newborns. Related: FDA,...
View ArticleFDA warns of joint pain for DPP-4 diabetes drugs
FDA warned that several leading drugs for type 2 diabetes may cause severe and disabling joint pain. FDA said that sitagliptin (Januvia), saxagliptin (Onglyza), linagliptin (Tradjenta), and alogliptin...
View ArticleFDA warns about dosing errors with antifungal
After a death and a hospitalized patient, FDA is cautioning that differences in dosing regimens between the 2 oral formulations of Merck’s antifungal drug Noxafil (posaconazole) have resulted in...
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