Updated Articles and Resources

From Ada Lio, Former About.com Guide

What Do Drug Side Effect Terms Mean? Part 5, Septicemia to Xerostemia Created: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 Updated: Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Patients, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can all find the language used in drug labeling confusing and confounding. Warnings and lists of side effects in prescribing informat...
What Do Drug Side Effect Terms Mean? Part 4, Nasopharyngitis to RPLS Created: Monday, January 28, 2013 Updated: Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Technical terms for drug side effects can be difficult for patients, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to understand. Having straightforward definitions can help people stay saf...
How to Plan and Prepare for an Emergency Affecting Your Pharmacy Created: Thursday, November 22, 2012 Updated: Sunday, February 24, 2013
As businesses and essential links in the health care response system following natural disasters, terror attacks and pandemics, community, hospital and other types of pharmacies must have well-deve...
New Drugs for 2012, Part 11: Gattex, Adasuve & Juxtapid Created: Monday, December 31, 2012 Updated: Sunday, February 24, 2013
During the last 10 days of December 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved NPS Pharmaceuticals’ Gattex (teduglutide) to improve the effectiveness of I.V. nutritional support in ...
Controlled Substances: What DEA and State Drug Schedules Mean for Pharmacists Created: Sunday, August 19, 2012 Updated: Sunday, February 10, 2013
Federal and state governments restrict the prescribing, dispensing and use of drugs that can cause addiction, be abused for nonmedical purposes and cause potentially fatal side effects. The U.S. Dr...
What Do Drug Side Effect Terms Mean? Part 3, Hypercalcemia to Myelosuppression Created: Monday, January 28, 2013 Updated: Monday, January 28, 2013
Prescription drug package inserts and medication guides for U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs often include language that does more to confuse patients, doctors, nurses, pharmacists ...
What Do Drug Side Effect Terms Mean? Part 2, Dysgeusia to Hepatic Toxicity Created: Saturday, January 12, 2013 Updated: Monday, January 28, 2013
Patients, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can understandably get lost trying to understand all the essential information in U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved prescription drug prescri...
What Do Drug Side Effect Terms Mean? Part 1, ALT/AST to Bronchospasm Created: Friday, January 11, 2013 Updated: Monday, January 28, 2013
Language used in prescribing information package inserts and medication guides for U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved prescription drugs can be confusing for patients, doctors, nurses, phar...
How Does FDA Regulate Drug Compounding by Pharmacies? Created: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 Updated: Sunday, January 20, 2013
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authority to regulate pharmacies and pharmacists that prepare compounded medications. The rules regarding whether pharmacy-made compounded drugs must be ap...
When Is It OK to Import a Prescription Drug Into the U.S. for Personal Use? Created: Tuesday, October 02, 2012 Updated: Sunday, January 20, 2013
Patients living in the United States can only obtain medications for personal use from suppliers based outside the country if they satisfy strict criteria. Practically ever product sold through a "...
How to Prevent Thefts From Pharmacies Created: Thursday, January 10, 2013 Updated: Thursday, January 10, 2013
Preventing the theft of money and medications from pharmacies in chain, retail, hospital, clinic and mail-service setting requires a combination of physical security features, software programs and...
New Drugs for 2012, Part 12: Eliquis, Sirturo & Fulyzaq Created: Wednesday, January 02, 2013 Updated: Wednesday, January 02, 2013
On Dec. 28, 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, on its third review, approved Bristol-Myer Squibb and Pfizer’s Eliquis (apixaban) to lower atrial fibrillation patients’ stroke ...
New Drugs for 2012, Part 10: Cometriq, Iclusig, Raxibacumab & Signifor Created: Friday, December 28, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Exelixis’ Cometriq (cabpzantib) to treat metastatic medullary thyroid cancer, Ariad PharmaceuticalsR...
New Drugs for 2012, Part 9: Fycompa, Synribo, Xeljanz & Flucelvax Created: Thursday, December 27, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, January 02, 2013
During October and November 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Eisai’s Fycompa (perampanel) as a treatment for partial-onset seizures in adults, teens and children older tha...
New Drugs for 2012, Part 8: Bosulif, Aubagio, Stivarga & Jetrea Created: Tuesday, December 25, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, January 02, 2013
During September and the beginning of October 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved and licensed Pfizer’s Bosulif (bosutinib) for a specific type of treatment-resistant blood c...
New Drugs for 2012, Part 7: Stribild, Tbo-Filgrastim, Linzess & Xtandi Created: Monday, December 24, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Within four days at the end of August 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved and licensed Gilead Sciences’ Stribild (elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine and tenofovir disopr...
New Drugs for 2012, Part 6: Kyprolis, Tudorza Pressair, Zaltrap & Marqibo Created: Sunday, December 23, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, January 02, 2013
During mid-summer 2012 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Onyx Pharmaceuticals’ Kyprolis (carfilzomib) for patients with treatment-resistant multiple myeloma, Forest Laboratories&...
New Drugs for 2012, Part 5: Belviq, Myrbertiq, Prepopik & Qsymia Created: Sunday, December 23, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, January 02, 2013
During the early summer of 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Arena and Eisai’s Belviq (lorcaserin hydrochloride) to promote additional weight loss in obese patients partici...
New Drugs for 2012, Part 4: Stendra, Elelyso, Perjeta & MenHibirix Created: Saturday, December 22, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, January 02, 2013
During 2012 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Vivus’ Stendra (avanafil) to treat erectile dysfunction, Pfizer’s Elelyso (taliglucerase alfa) to replace the enzyme patients ...
New Drugs for 2012, Part 3: Surfaxin, Omontys, Amyvid & Votrient Created: Saturday, December 22, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, January 02, 2013
During March and April 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Discovery Laboratories’ Surfaxin (lucinactant) to resolve respiratory distress in infants born prematurely, Affymax...
New Drugs for 2012, Part 2: Kalydeco, Zioptan & Korlym Created: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, January 02, 2013
From late January through February 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved or licensed three new prescription medications: Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Kalydeco (ivacaftor) for a spec...
New Drugs for 2012, Part 1: Voraxaze, Inlyta & Erivedge Created: Tuesday, November 27, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Get a quick review of the indications for, and potential complications with, medications newly approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during 2012. This entry summarizes and provides link...
New Indications Approved in 2012 for Existing Brand Name Drugs Created: Wednesday, January 02, 2013 Updated: Wednesday, January 02, 2013
During 2012 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration officially approved new therapeutic and preventative uses for Novartis’ Afinitor (everolimus), Novartis’ Gleevec (imatinib), Abbott Lab...
Important and First-Time Generic Drug Approvals for 2012 Created: Tuesday, January 01, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, January 01, 2013
First-time and critically needed generic drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during 2012 included pancrelipase pancreatic enzymes, which are equivalent to AbbVie’s Creon; ...
Pharmacist Immunizers Fill an Essential Public Health Role Created: Thursday, August 02, 2012 Updated: Sunday, December 23, 2012
Pharmacists can help prevent disease by offering vaccination services to patients.
Medicare and Drug Compounding Created: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 Updated: Sunday, December 23, 2012
Senior citizens and disabled adults eligible for Medicare can often find themselves in need of custom-made dosages that can only by be prepared by compounding pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. ...
What the Obamacare Health Insurance Rules Mean for Pharmacy Created: Wednesday, November 21, 2012 Updated: Sunday, December 23, 2012
Prescription drug coverage is listed among 10 essential health benefits required for health insurance plans certified as meeting standards established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care ...
How to Earn Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Created: Friday, October 19, 2012 Updated: Sunday, November 18, 2012
Eight leading pharmacy organizations established the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board in 2006 to certify the qualifications and quality of drug compounding practices in the United States. E...
What Is the Strategic National Stockpile? Created: Saturday, November 17, 2012 Updated: Saturday, November 17, 2012
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains the Strategic National Stockpile with funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The SNS includes prescription drugs, OTC medica...
Ways to Become a Pharmacy First Responder Created: Friday, November 16, 2012 Updated: Friday, November 16, 2012
Acts of terrorism, disease epidemics and natural disasters can create massive needs for health care services. Pharmacists, student pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from community, educational, ...
How Pharmacists Can Help People Prepare for Disasters Created: Thursday, November 15, 2012 Updated: Thursday, November 15, 2012
Stocking medicines, food and supplies ranging from batteries to blankets, community pharmacies make perfect places for people to stock up on the materials they will need in the event of natural dis...
How to Prevent Drug Compounding Errors Created: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Preventing medication errors involving compounded drugs requires pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to pay close attention at every step of the prescription drug ordering, dosage preparation, dis...