Drug Formulary Review articles from October 2005

Drug Formulary Review archives from October 2005

New heart failure guidelines address aldosterone antagonists and ARBS.
October 1, 2005... New heart failure guidelines address aldosterone antagonists and ARBS Recommendations for use of specific beta-blockers also included New heart failure guidelines not only recommend specific beta-blockers, but they also include an...

Pain management QI recommendations updated.
October 1, 2005... Pain management QI recommendations updated They stress team, multimodal approach To improve the quality of acute pain and cancer pain management, health care providers must do more than merely improve pain assessment and documentation,...

Details of the updated APS guidelines.
October 1, 2005... Details of the updated APS guidelines The American Pain Society (APS) in Glenview, IL, recently published its 2005 Quality Improvement Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Pain and Cancer Pain in the July 25 issue of the Archives of...

Research News: Pre-PCI clopidogrel shows benefit.
October 1, 2005... Pre-PCI clopidogrel shows benefit A recent study found that pretreatment with the anti-platelet drug clopidogrel (Plavix) before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) significantly reduced by 46% the odds of cardiovascular death,...

Organization releases guidelines for post-op atrial fibrillation.
October 1, 2005... Organization releases guidelines for post-op atrial fibrillation The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) in Northbrook, IL, has released evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the prevention and management of postoperative...

FDA approves test that detects gene variations.
October 1, 2005... FDA approves test that detects gene variations The FDA has approved a new blood test that it says will help doctors make personalized drug treatment decisions for some patients. The Invader UGT1A1 Molecular Assay, manufactured by Third...

Lots of albumin (human) 25% recalled.(ZLB Behring LLC recall)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Lots of albumin (human) 25% recalled ZLB Behring LLC has voluntarily recalled albumin (human) 25% (Albuminar), lot numbers C934009, C934110, C805209, C805309, C934210, and C934310. This action is being taken with the knowledge of the FDA....

Cardiotoxicity information updated for trastuzumab.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Cardiotoxicity information updated for trastuzumab Genentech and the FDA have notified health care professionals of updated cardiotoxicity information related to the use of trastuzumab (Herceptin). This information was obtained from the...

New FDA Approvals.
October 1, 2005... These drugs were recently approved by the FDA: * Combination measles, mumps, and rubella virus vaccine live (M-M-R II) and varicella virus vaccine live (Varivax) — called ProQuad — by Merck. The FDA has approved an attenuated...

Drug Criteria & Outcomes: Drug evaluation: Dexmethylphenidate hydrochloride tablets (Focalin).
October 1, 2005... Drug Criteria & Outcomes Drug evaluation: Dexmethylphenidate hydrochloride tablets (Focalin) Part 2 of 2: Clinical Studies, Cost, Application, Formulary Recommendation By Emily K. Pauli, BS, BMS, PharmD Candidate Harrison...

Drug Criteria & Outcomes: In The Pipeline.
October 1, 2005... Drug Criteria & Outcomes *OncoGeneX Technologies has announced that the first patient has been treated in a Phase II clinical trial of OGX-011 in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin in chemotherapy naive patients with advanced...

CE questions.
October 1, 2005... CE questions Pharmacists participate in this continuing education program by reading the article, using the provided references for further research, and studying the CE questions. Participants should select what they believe to be the...