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Study: Statins may increase risk of diabetes in older women
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareThe number of people taking cholesterol-lowering medications continues to grow. The percentage of adults aged 40 and older taking drugs to address high cholesterol rose from 20 percent to 28 percent between 2003 and 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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ACA uncertainty fuels slowdown in healthcare hiring
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationAfter the astronomical rise in U.S. job growth in February, the same can't be said for the following month, March. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 235,000 jobs in February, and the unemployment rate dropped to 4.7 percent in the first full month of President Donald Trump's term, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported at the time. By the same measurement, the U.S. economy only added 98,000 jobs in March, deeply disappointing analysts who predicted as many 180,000 new hirings.
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Pharmacists and the prescription prior authorization process
Jason Poquette PharmaceuticalPharmacists working in the community pharmacy setting know the situation all too well. A patient brings in a prescription for a new medication. He has had a discussion with his doctor about the drug and decided he is willing to try something new. But then he is disappointed and confused to be told that the prescription requires something called a "prior authorization."
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Gottlieb vows to uphold FDA’s ‘gold standard’
Dr. Abimbola Farinde PharmaceuticalEver since President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January, he has pledged to cut burdensome regulations on businesses and industry. When it comes to the pharmaceutical industry, Trump vowed at his first joint address of Congress to "slash the restraints" on drug development by streamlining the drug approval process of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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Watch for these red flags when dispensing opioid prescriptions
Jason Poquette PharmaceuticalWhen I graduated from pharmacy school almost 25 years ago, filling prescriptions for opioids in a community setting wasn't a topic of great concern. We did it. We made sure the dosing was appropriate and counseled the patients about side effects such as drowsiness, nausea and constipation. We knew about forged prescriptions and probably caught some.
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Drug spending may be slowing down in US
Dr. Abimbola Farinde PharmaceuticalThe high costs of prescription drugs in the United States has been a prevalent topic of conversation within the last few years, and this largely aligns with the United States being recognized for paying the highest prices for drugs in the world. The U.S. reportedly spends almost $1,000 per person annually on drugs, which is about twice that of countries such as Germany and France.
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Despite guidelines, antibiotic choice to treat pediatric pneumonia varies
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareA new study shows that outpatient clinicians prescribe macrolide antibiotics to treat community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in most pediatric patients — even though established guidelines recommend amoxicillin in the majority of cases.
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Do anti-inflammatory drugs really improve low back pain?
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareAcute back pain is one of the most common reasons for visits to primary care physicians, second only to colds and flu. The annual prevalence of low back pain in the United States is estimated at 15 to 20 percent, and the lifetime prevalence is over 60 percent. The first episode usually occurs between 20 and 40 years of age.
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Should pharmacies use incentives to encourage transfers?
Jason Poquette Pharmaceutical"Transfer your prescriptions today and get a $25 ABC Pharmacy gift card!" We've all seen this sort of advertising, often employed by a pharmacy just moving into the area to get new customers. And, to some degree, the strategy seems to work. But is it right? Should this sort of approach go on?
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The future of expedited drug approvals
Dr. Abimbola Farinde PharmaceuticalThe Trump administration is poised to select a head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who intends change the current process of drug approvals in the U.S. This new process will possibly change the current drug development model that has been used by the FDA for many years. At the prospective forefront of this change are the two candidates vying for the head of the FDA.
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