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The debate over NARCAN in our schools
Brian Stack EducationIt is a familiar story that is plaguing America's communities, with a familiar headline that appears to repeat itself over and over again: "Young person dies of apparent drug overdose." The American Society of Addiction Medicine reports that opioids — the class of drugs that include the illicit drug heroin as well as prescription pain relievers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and fentanyl — are the root cause for a spike in drug overdose deaths in recent years. Of the more than 47,000 lethal drug overdoses in 2014, more than 29,000 were caused by opioids.
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Reducing prescription medication use with medical marijuana
Christina Thielst PharmaceuticalResearchers at the University of Georgia have found that prescribing patterns change with the implementation of state-level medical marijuana programs, according to a recent Health Affairs report. They found the use of drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for which marijuana could serve as a clinical alternative fell significantly once a medical marijuana law was implemented by states.
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Who’s to blame for rising Medicare Part D costs?
Dr. Abimbola Farinde PharmaceuticalMedicare Part D was established as a voluntary outpatient prescription drug benefit from The Medicare Modernization Act. The law was passed in 2003, and Medicare Part D went into effect in 2006. The purpose of this plan was to ensure that individuals who are on Medicare — including those who are 65 years of age and older as well as those under 65 years with permanent disabilities — can have subsidized access to Medicare drug benefits.
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The biggest challenge of my pharmacy career
Jason Poquette PharmaceuticalA student on his rotation at our pharmacy recently asked me, "What is the biggest challenge you have ever faced in your career as a pharmacist?" I thought this was a fantastic question, and reminded me that questions like this really make being a preceptor worthwhile.
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Pharmacies fight back against escalating drug costs
Dr. Abimbola Farinde PharmaceuticalThe topic of formulary selection and the impact it can have on consumers has been in the spotlight for some time. One of the more notable reasons for this attention is the pricing of these drugs and the lack of proper control that exists to regulate the escalating prices.
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Who is to blame for Mylan’s EpiPen price?
Jason Poquette PharmaceuticalThe blame game is nothing new. According to Genesis in the Bible, Adam blamed his wife for making him eat the forbidden fruit. Eve, in turn, blamed the serpent. And while we are far way from the Garden of Eden, there is still plenty of finger pointing going on. The latest episode of the blame game has centered on the life-saving prescription injection known at the EpiPen.
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Medical schools attempting to curb physician burnout, opioid epidemic
Lonny Alfred Medical & Allied HealthcareThe numbers don't lie. Cases of opioid addiction and overdoses have been on the upward bound in the last decade. Just as alarming, more than half of practicing physicians today display signs of burnout, and those rates don't look to be declining any time soon.
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Big Pharma’s greed exposed again with rise in EpiPen costs
Joan Spitrey PharmaceuticalAs the school year begins, parents across the nation are being confronted with the outrageous price increase of the life-saving epinephrine delivery device, EpiPen. For parents of children who attend school or daycare, having this life-saving medication readily available is a necessity. The EpiPen quickly delivers epinephrine, which is needed to prevent anaphylaxis and possible death due to severe allergies.
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Study: Race influences opioid prescriptions in the ED
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareAfrican-Americans who seek care for back or abdominal pain in the nation's emergency rooms are less likely to receive opioid pain relievers than white patients who presented with the same symptoms. That's the finding of a new study conducted by researchers at the University of California at San Francisco. Published Aug. 8 in PLOS ONE, the study looked at five years' worth of data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.
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As Massachusetts unveils new PMP, old questions remain
Jason Poquette PharmaceuticalWith high hopes for an easier to use and more efficient website, Massachusetts has announced the launch of their new prescription monitoring program (PMP) website known as the Massachusetts Prescription Awareness Tool, or MassPAT. The site will have all the same capabilities of the current PMP tool, but boasts a more user-friendly interface and efficient search engine.
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