Drug Formulary Review articles from April 2006

Drug Formulary Review archives from April 2006

Joint Commission looking for evaluation and action plan for USP 797.(facility requirements for compounded sterile preparations)
April 1, 2006... Some hospitals spending millions for facilities compliance The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, is concerned that some hospitals are spending too much to comply with the facilities...

Hospital undertakes review of preprinted MD orders.
April 1, 2006... Multidisciplinary team brings them to standard Hospitals need to ensure that their preprinted physician orders meet the appropriate standards for both safety and clinical standards. A multidisciplinary team at one hospital reviewed more...

Learn how to get around rebound headache.(overuse of headache medications)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Duration not related to time of drug in body Giving preventive medications to a patient who is overusing acute medication for headache may be a waste of time, according to a presenter at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists...

Abstracts highlight drug information, NICU benefits.
April 1, 2006... Here's a snapshot of two Professional Posters presentation abstracts from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting in December. * Implementation of a web-based, multisite drug information service...

Steroids taken with protease inhibitors linked to complications.
April 1, 2006... A study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicates that a steroid medication taken with an HIV protease inhibitor may increase the risk of bone damage in HIV-infected patients as well as increase the risk of Cushing's...

HHS agencies announce initiative to improve cancer therapy.
April 1, 2006... The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced the Oncology Biomarker Qualification Initiative...

Bayer, FDA warn of administration errors for nimodipine (Nimotop).(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Bayer and the FDA have notified health care professionals of changes to the prescribing information for nimodipine (Nimotop), including a boxed warning to notify prescribers about medication administration errors. Nimodipine is approved for...

Hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia linked to gatifloxacin (Tequin) use.
April 1, 2006... Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. has announced labeling changes for gatifloxacin (Tequin), an antibiotic indicated for the treatment of patients with pneumonia, bronchitis, uncomplicated gonorrhea, and various infections including infections of urinary...

Bosentan label revised to include liver function monitoring.
April 1, 2006... Actelion and the FDA have notified health care professionals of changes to the bosentan (Tracleer) prescribing information based on cases of hepatotoxity reported. Bosentan is indicated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. The...

Study of natalizumab-treated patients shows no new PML cases.
April 1, 2006... An independent clinical and laboratory study of more than 3,000 people treated with the drug natalizumab (Tysabri) for multiple sclerosis (MS), Crohn's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis has found no evidence of new cases of progressive...

Exenatide (Byetta) Drug Evaluation.
April 1, 2006... Part 2 of 2: Clinical trial summary, Cost comparison, and Recommendation By Steven Higginbotham, PharmD Candidate Harrison School of Pharmacy, Auburn (AL) University Clinical trial summary Trial 1: Buse JB, Henry RR, Han J, et al....

CE objectives/questions.
April 1, 2006... This CE program will improve participants' ability to: *Compare the clinical efficacy and safety of one therapeutic agent over another used in the same setting. *Assess clinical trial data and explain how the results influence...