Content about Drugs

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores announced on Thursday that it submitted comments to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which held a hearing Thursday titled "FDA User Fees: Advancing Public Health," outlining community pharmacy's commitment to addressing drug safety and the appropriate use of prescription medications to help improve patient health.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores announced on Thursday its support of legislation that seeks to repeal a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which requires consumers to obtain a prescription to use their flexible spending accounts for over-the-counter medication purchases.

The Restoring Access to Medication Act was introduced by U.S. Reps. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan., and Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Sens. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Ben Nelson, D-Neb.

YONKERS, N.Y. — Important safety information often is missing from drug labels, while some pharmacies don’t include medication guides required by the federal government, according to a new investigation by Consumer Reports.

NEW YORK — A newly launched prescription card offers discounts at more than 2,000 pharmacies in New York.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores announced on Friday that it sent a letter to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy in support of the administration's strategy to prevent and reduce prescription drug diversion and misuse. Last month, the administration released its report, "Epidemic: Responding to America's Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis," detailing its policy recommendations.

BALTIMORE — The American Pain Foundation on Wednesday launched new information and resources on pain medication safety for acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as part of its PainSafe educational initiative.

The new information will be launched with a national public service announcement emphasizing the safe use of pain treatment options, particularly medications containing NSAIDs (aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen) and acetaminophen (Tylenol and APAP).

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores submitted on Thursday an official statement to the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, highlighting pharmacy's commitment in partnering with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to help prevent and combat prescription drug diversion and misuse.

LONDON — Any manufacturer that has the necessary resources and still is hesitating about whether to tap into biosimilars might want to go ahead and do it, if projections by British market analysis firm Datamonitor come true.

The firm released a report Monday showing that the global biosimilars market, whose value stood at $243 million in 2010, will increase to $3.7 billion by 2015.

There are three issues involving over-the-counter medicines today that have put the industry on the defensive, and all involve the question of appropriate access. Drug Store News examined each.

1. FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS
The issue: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act required that FSA participants obtain a prescription for those OTCs incorporated into their health savings agenda.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association may not be painting pink Pepto-Bismol mustaches on a group of Hollywood celebrities and professional athletes as part of the new campaign it plans to fully unveil in June, but the goal is more or less the same as the “Got Milk?” ads.

“Got milk?” has become ubiquitous. There is 100% clarity of message. The milk mustache says it all: Milk is an essential food and an integral part of a healthy diet; it HAS TO BE in your refrigerator, on your breakfast table and in your lunch box.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Commenting on a counterfeit pharmaceutical inter-agency working group report, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores stressed that it shares the goal of improving the public awareness of the risks posed from counterfeit drugs and unlawful online drug sellers, but expressed concern over the report's proposal to mandate a "track-and-trace" system in the United States, given the high cost it could pose for pharmacies.

NEW YORK — "Fake drugs are a big threat and an exploding threat," Kumar Kibble, deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told the news program "60 Minutes" in a segment that appeared Sunday night.