Content about Collaborative Care

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug made by Merck for treating high cholesterol, the drug maker said.

Merck announced the approval of Liptruzet (ezetimibe and atorvastatin). The drug combines two preexisting cholesterol drugs: ezetimibe, which Merck markets under the brand name Zetia, and atorvastatin, which Pfizer markets under the name Lipitor. Both drugs are available as generics, but because Liptruzet is a novel combination of them, it required FDA approval as a new drug.

NEW YORK — Florida's state legislature approved a bill last week that will allow pharmacists to substitute biosimilars for brand name biotech drugs.

The bill, which was approved last Tuesday and is scheduled to take effect on July 1, institutes requirements for pharmacists to substitute biosimilars when they are determined to be biosimilar to and interchangeable with the brand name product, while also requiring the state board of pharmacy to maintain a current list of interchangeable products.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Pregnant women should not use migraine-prevention medications containing valproate sodium due to a higher risk of decreased IQ scores in children, the Food and Drug Administration warned Monday.

In addition to being used to prevent migraines, valproate drugs are used for treating epilepsy and bipolar disorder and include related drugs such as divalproex sodium and valproic acid. Most are available in generic form as well as under brand names like AbbVie's Depacon and Depakote and others.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club is offering free skin and weight screenings during the weekend, the club retailer said Monday.

Sam's Club said all of its stores that operate pharmacies would offer the screenings, as well as screenings for the effects of stress on both, on Saturday. The screenings include body mass index, blood tests for the stress hormone cortisol, weight, height, blood pressure and vision. The stores also will give away certificates for free samples of the probiotic supplement Align.

SAN DIEGO — Women who take low-dose oral contraceptives may be at increased risk of chronic pelvic-pain symptoms and pain during sexual climax, according to a new study.

The study, scheduled for presentation to reporters at the American Urological Association's annual scientific meeting in San Diego on Tuesday, was conducted by researchers at New York University and the Waitemata District Health Board in Auckland, New Zealand, compared CPPS in young women who used oral contraceptives with the condition in those who didn't.

SAN DIEGO — Rates of testicular cancer among young men have risen significantly over the last two decades across racial and ethnic groups, according to a new study, and researchers are wondering what accounts for it.

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department late Wednesday reported it will appeal a recent judicial decision that would require removing any age restriction from the purchase of the Plan B emergency contraceptive, according to a report published in USA Today.

RESTON, Va. — A company that manages pharmacy services for employer groups and health plans has selected a company founded by the National Community Pharmacists Association for its medication therapy management services.

RxResults said it had chosen Mirixa Corp.'s MirixaPro platform to administer MTM services for members of its employer groups. The services will include a person-to-person comprehensive medication review and quarterly interactive follow-up medication reviews delivered by a pharmacist using the platform.

LEVERKUSEN, Germany — Bayer HealthCare will buy birth-control product maker Conceptus for $1.1 billion, the companies said.

Bayer said its $31-per-share purchase of the Mountain View, Calif.-based company would allow it to expand its selection of contraception products. Conceptus makes Essure, a non-surgical permanent birth-control method, and Bayer said it would allow the company to offer a complete range of short-term, long-term and permanent contraceptive methods for women.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — PharmaSmart International's blood-pressure screening program is in use in all the stores of a regional retail pharmacy chain in the Northeast.

PharmaSmart said it had deployed the peer-reviewed and clinically validated program at Kinney Drugs, which operates 97 stores in upstate New York and Vermont.

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. — A search feature that allows pharmacies to quickly determine why patients are calling so they can better serve their needs and a patient registration system that allows easier enrollment in medication-time reminders, disease management and smoking-cessation programs are among the new features of the latest version of PrescribeWellness' software system.