Katie Eder, Senior Editor

Despite persistent concerns over inappropriate antipsychotic prescribing in children, a new study suggests the majority of prescriptions for the medications are issued appropriately.

Long-term use of narcotics found to be more than twice as prevalent in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease patients.

Dispensing higher opioid doses to chronic pain patients could trigger depression.

Narcotics are not recommended for managing chronic pain in children with inflammatory bowel disease, due to gastrointestinal side effects and potential dependence. Nevertheless, researchers have uncovered that long-term narcotic use is more than twice as prevalent in pediatric IBD patients compared with the general population.

FDA approved the highest amount of novel drugs and biologics in nearly 20 years during 2014.

The news of Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, resigning from her long-standing post as FDA Commissioner stirred memories of her success with improving access to emergency contraception, but more so her struggles with regulating drug compounding following a deadly fungal meningitis outbreak traced to a compounding pharmacy's tainted drugs.

Bill would permit pharmacists to offer health care services to Medicare patients in underserved communities.

Pharmacists are getting closer to obtaining provider status, as federal legislation that would enable pharmacists to provide health care services to Medicare patients in underserved communities has been reintroduced in the US Senate and House of Representatives.

States attempting to create efficient models of care to reduce costs, improve quality, and health outcomes.

A California drug manufacturer must recall and destroy all of its dietary supplements after a federal court determined that it failed to follow FDA manufacturing practice regulations.

The National Governors Association is exploring and supporting pharmacists' expanding role in providing direct patient care outside of dispensing medications.

Civilian women with posttraumatic stress disorder have a considerably increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with counterparts unexposed to trauma.

The FDA today granted the first waiver to allow the use of a nucleic acid-based influenza diagnostic test in a greater variety of health care settings.

Responding to a request from state officials to provide greater access to naloxone, CVS Health, Walgreens, and other chain pharmacies will stock and dispense the opioid overdose antidote in stores across Maryland, as well as train their pharmacists on administering the lifesaving medication.

Pharmacists need to prepare for new standards for the handling of hazardous drugs.

The FDA today approved finafloxacin otic suspension (Xtoro), a new drug used to treat acute otitis externa.

To provide further guidance on issues concerning drug compounding, the FDA today announced that experts in pharmacy, pharmaceutical compounding and manufacturing, medicine, and pharmaceutical regulation will comprise the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee.

Pharmacists can substantially lower risk for cardiovascular disease.

With Pennsylvania pharmacies now authorized to fill third-party naloxone prescriptions and California pharmacies set to dispense naloxone without any prescription at all, more and more pharmacists are providing a critical public pathway to the opioid overdose antidote.

Although the proposed USP General Chapter is not anticipated to take effect for at least the next 2 years, an expert panel described how pharmacists can start preparing for the new standards in handling hazardous drugs.

The role of pharmacists in HIV care across ambulatory care settings is expanding.

The FDA has approved the Animas Vibe insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring system for the management of insulin-requiring diabetic adults.

The most recent election results have propelled pharmacists into key positions across federal and state governments.

Expanding upon efforts to implement the federal Drug Quality and Security Act enacted 1 year ago, the FDA today released 3 policy documents that assist companies that compound sterile drugs with registering as outsourcing facilities.

Several provisions of the Affordable Care Act intend to improve smoking cessation rates by increasing insurance coverage for effective interventions.

Vitamin B12 and folic acid supplementation does not improve cognitive performance in elderly patients with elevated levels of an amino acid linked to Alzheimer's disease and memory loss.

If approved, it would be Gilead's first single-tablet HIV regimen to contain TAF.

Gilead Sciences, Inc., has submitted a new drug application to the FDA for its investigational single-tablet regimen for HIV infection in adult patients.

The vast majority of the 116 US Representatives who cosponsored legislation supporting provider status for pharmacists were reelected to Congress yesterday, according to a Pharmacy Times analysis of midterm election results.

North Dakota voters rejected a measure on yesterday's ballot to abolish a law that requires a licensed pharmacist to hold majority ownership of any pharmacy in the state.