CLINICAL ROLE -
Chronic Painkiller Abuse, Methadone-Related Deaths Both Increasingly Common
Recent research from the CDC finds that chronic abuse of prescription painkillers has leaped in recent years and methadone is disproportionately associated with prescription painkiller deaths.
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Sulfonylureas Associated With Increased Risk of Death
Three members of the sulfonylurea class of diabetes drugs are associated with a significantly increased risk of death compared with metformin, a study has found.
Supreme Court Upholds Almost All of Health Care Reform Law
The controversial individual mandate, requiring most Americans to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty, was deemed constitutional.
Pharmacies Offer HIV Testing Through CDC Program
Pharmacies and retail clinics are offering HIV testing in an effort to help reach the CDC's goal of testing every adolescent and adult in the country.
Effectiveness of Clinical Pharmacy Services to Be Tested
The USC School of Pharmacy has received a grant to provide clinical pharmacy services in safety-net clinics and compare outcomes and costs with control clinics.
Older Patients Frequently Overlook Prescription Warning Labels
Older study participants were less likely to look at warning labels on prescription drug bottles than younger ones, suggesting that they would be more vulnerable to adverse drug effects.
Hormonal Contraceptives Associated With Increased Risk of Stroke and Heart Attack
The increased risks of stroke and heart attack associated with hormonal contraceptives are significant, but the overall risks remain very low.
Study Underscores Risk of Acetaminophen Overdose
Patients demonstrated a high likelihood of taking an overdose of acetaminophen in a variety of scenarios presented by researchers.
New York State Set to Crack Down on Painkiller Abuse
New York's new strategy for reducing abuse of prescription painkillers includes requiring pharmacists to immediately report all prescriptions filled for controlled substances.
FDA Falls Short in Communicating Drug Recalls
The FDA fails to alert health care providers of a significant portion of serious drug recalls and others are lost in a sea of less important alerts, a study finds.
Calcium Supplements Linked to Heart Attack
Calcium pills that are widely used to help prevent osteoporosis have been associated with a significantly increased risk of heart attack, researchers report.
E-Prescribing Rate Continues to Rise
In 2011, more than a third of prescriptions were routed electronically, and more than half of office-based physicians were e-prescribing, a new report finds.
Reusable Grocery Bag Fingered as Culprit in Norovirus Outbreak
Researchers found that a virus passed from one member of a girls' soccer team to others via a grocery bag stored in a hotel bathroom where she was sick.
Pharmacist Monitoring Aids in Blood Pressure Control
Telemonitoring and phone consultation of patients by pharmacists yielded significantly better blood pressure reduction than usual care, researchers reported.
Adolescent Painkiller Abuse Likely to Begin During High School
Cross-sectional surveys show that initial prescription painkiller abuse among adolescents peaks at age 16, earlier than previously thought.
NCPA Pushes for Passage of Pro-Community Pharmacy Bills
The NCPA wants Congress to pass legislation that would increase the competitiveness of community pharmacies.
Environmental Causes of Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Environmental factors may contribute to up to a quarter of neurodevelopmental disorders, but more research into the role of specific substances is needed.
Combination Therapy Better Than Monotherapy for Children With Type 2 Diabetes
In a clinical trial, a combination of 2 drugs performed better than a single drug or a drug plus lifestyle intervention for children with type 2 diabetes.
Text Message Reminders Increase Influenza Vaccination Rate
In a New York City-based study, text message reminders showed promise in boosting the rate of influenza vaccinations among low-income children and adolescents.
Painkiller Prescription Limits
A Washington State law signed last year attempts to limit long-term use of opioid painkillers, but some argue that it is too stringent.
Antidepressant Prescribing Disparities
A new study finds significant disparities in how patients with major depressive disorder are treated based on ethnic background and type of insurance coverage.
Friends and Family Frequently Provide Pills to Prescription Drug Abusers
Prescription drug abusers get the majority of their drugs from friends and family, according to data presented by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Off-Label Prescribing Usually Not Backed by Strong Scientific Evidence
An analysis of electronic health records in Canada revealed that almost 4 out of 5 off-label prescriptions were not backed up by strong scientific evidence.
Judge Declines to Stop Express Scripts-Medco Merger
A federal judge declined to issue a preliminary injunction against the integration of Express Scripts and Medco following their merger earlier this month.
Medicare Coverage Gap Causes Many to Stop Cardiovascular Drugs
Patients who had to pay for their own medications due to a Medicare coverage gap were more likely to stop taking heart drugs, according to a new study.
Genetic Links to Childhood Obesity Discovered
Two gene variants associated with increased risk of childhood obesity have been discovered, raising the hope that drugs can be developed to treat the condition.
ADA Issues New Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Guidelines
The new guidelines emphasize tailoring treatment to the needs of specific patients.
The Supreme Court Considers Health Care Reform: A Day-by-Day Guide
In 3 days of arguments, the Supreme Court wrestled with the constitutionality of various provisions of President Obama's landmark health care reform law.
FTC Approves Express Scripts-Medco Merger
Express Scripts and Medco combined to form the country's largest pharmacy benefits manager, but pharmacy associations continue their fight against the merger.