March/April 2015

Pharmacists need to be aware of the ways in which draft regulations developed by the United States Pharmacopeia are likely to affect the handling of potentially hazardous drugs.

The first biosimilar product in the United States has been approved, and the time is now for specialty pharmacists to become familiar with the use and regulation of these drugs.

As specialty medication costs rise, stakeholders seek to find a balance between cost containment and patient access.

A pharmacy that seeks to register as an outsourcing facility will likely need to make investments in infrastructure and training in order to comply with the Drug Quality and Security Act.

Specialty pharmacists are instrumental in addressing the particular needs of patients undergoing highly specialized cancer treatments.

Health care and pharmacy practices must regularly verify that their employees are not excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, or other federal health programs.

Health care providers can utilize mobile health technology to provide patients with targeted adherence reminders and disease management guidance.

The implementation of a data warehouse, a relational database for query and analysis, can help a specialty pharmacy utilize its data to the fullest.

Specialty pharmacies must consider how their marketing programs intersect with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act marketing rules.

The FDA approved Triumeq (abacavir, dolutegravir, and lamivudine) tablets for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in patients without the HLA-B*5701 allele.

US Bioservices offers nationwide specialty pharmacy and nursing services tailored to meet the needs of patients, physicians, payers, and manufacturers.

Pharmacists provide medication expertise that is essential to both the patient and the health care team in the treatment of hepatitis C.

In an effort to prevent the transfer of stolen or counterfeit drugs, a new law will require pharmacies to supply more data about pharmaceutical shipments moving through the supply chain.