Colleen Hall

The Department of Health and Human Services has released information that shows that millions of seniors and people with disabilities with Medicare continue to save on prescription drugs and see improved benefits in 2016 as a result of the Affordable Care Act.

Officials noted a 54% decline in kidney failure in this population between 1996 and 2013, more than any racial and ethnic group.

Morphine sulfate extended-release tablets offer a long-term opioid treatment for pain management in cases where alternative treatment options may be inadequate.

The FDA has approved morphine sulfate extended-release tablets (Arymo ER, Egalet Corporation), a long-term opioid treatment for pain management in cases where alternative treatment options may be inadequate

Amgen's request for a permanent injunction granted to prohibit Sanofi/Regeneron from manufacturing and selling PCSK9 inhibitor.

A United States District Court judge in Delaware granted Amgen's request for a permanent injunction prohibiting Sanofi/Regeneron from manufacturing, using, selling or offering their monoclonal antibodies to proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9).

Officials with the FDA have expanded the use of Dexcom’s G5 Mobile Continuous Glucose Monitoring System to allow for replacement of fingerstick blood glucose testing for diabetes treatment decisions in people 2 years of age and older with diabetes,

FDA finds no association between neuropsychiatric events and the smoking-cessation medication Chantix.

Removal of the boxed warning is based on the outcomes of EAGLES (Evaluating Adverse Events in a Global Smoking Cessation Study), which is a randomized, blinded, active- and placebo-controlled clinical trial, in patients without and with a history of psychiatric disorder.

Timesaving is key, as pharmacists are routinely being asked to do more with less in the hospital setting.

Ready-to-use products don't involve human contact, giving them an advantage over other options in terms of safety and efficiency

Similar to smartphone updates, cumbersome drug library updates prevent the drug library from being useful to clinicians.

Regardless of some challenges, one health care system, which is comprised of 16 hospitals ranging from large academic settings to rural locations, has seen success with centralized PN compounding.

ASHP honored several of their own this week at the Midyear meeting.

It is important for pharmacists to stay on top of the latest drug safety communications from the FDA, which has provided numerous ways to accomplish that task, according to a presentation at the ASHP Midyear 2016 Clinical Meeting and Exhibition.

Trained clinical pharmacists can effectively manage patients with hepatitis C virus.

Opioid use has increased along with the rising number of Americans reporting chronic pain in recent years.

Intradepartmental hospital pharmacy groups can play a key role in helping to identify and troubleshoot problem areas.

Collaboration between physicians, patients, and pharmacists is essential to address the public health crisis of opioid misuse and overdose in the United States.

Contour Next One Blood Glucose Monitoring System features a blood glucose smart meter that connects to the Contour Diabetes app.