Rapidly falling reimbursement rates and stiff competition from large corporate pharmacy models are forcing pharmacists to make difficult decisions.

Sonya Collins

A pharmacy inadvertently applied a labetalol label to the manufacturer bottle of lamotrigine. The patient prescribed labetalol suffered repeated adverse effects after taking their mislabeled, incorrect medication.

Institute for Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Horsham, PA

Drug shortages are an unfortunate reality of contemporary pharmacy practice. Caring pharmacists and pharmacy technicians solve problems caused by drug shortages on a daily basis.

David B. Brushwood, BSPharm, JD

The number of pharmacies closing nationwide continues, mostly in communities of color, contributing to pharmacy deserts.

Mickie Cathers

As pharmacists play a more prominent role in a patient’s health care, having medical record access is a necessary component.

Loren Bonner

Since 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the PREP Act has granted pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy interns nationwide with various authorities to combat the viral spread of COVID-19 and treat certain patients who contract the virus.

Olivia C. Welter, PharmD

Updates from FDA

Prescribing cascades are under-recognized as a contributor to polypharmacy among older adults, according to a recent paper published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society on March 28, 2024, that specifically looked at gabapentinoid-loop diuretic cascades.

Elizabeth Briand

At a June 2024 meeting, the board of directors for the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) approved new accreditation standards for the PharmD degree.

Loren Bonner

A randomized placebo-controlled single-center Finnish study published in JAMA Internal Medicine on June 17, 2024, showed that varenicline and e-cigarettes had similar rates of smoking cessation at 52 weeks.

Clarissa Chan, PharmD

In June 2024, for the first time in over a decade, FDA approved a new drug to treat adult patients with COPD.

Lauren Howell, PharmD

Bitter melon dietary supplements are advertised as supporting healthy digestion and promoting increased metabolism and decreased body weight by balancing blood glucose levels.

Mickie Cathers

Itchy skin, also known as pruritus, can be caused from many skin conditions, including eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis; allergies; diseases such as shingles; or hormonal changes in pregnancy or menopause.

Mary Warner

Prior research has shown that dual antiplatelet therapy can reduce the risk of early new stroke in patients with acute mild ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) within 24 hours of symptom onset.

As clinicians strive to safeguard the health of pregnant women with epilepsy and their unborn children, it’s important to balance effective seizure control with any risks associated with antiseizure medications.

Aiya Almogaber, PharmD

Authors of a retrospective analysis, published in Annals of Internal Medicine on July 9, 2024, looked at the rates of major hemorrhagic and ischemic events in patients with cirrhosis who were newly prescribed apixaban and compared them with patients who were prescribed rivaroxaban or warfarin for the treatment of AFib.

Corey Diamond, PharmD

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine on July 15, 2024, showed that self-management of chronic pain with the “Skills to Manage Pain” (STOMP) intervention may help patients with HIV.

Clarissa Chan, PharmD

Data from several studies have shown mixed evidence about whether and when to prescribe renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (ACE inhibitors and ARBs) for patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Terri D’Arrigo

Cancer was the second most common cause of death in the United States in 2022. Breast cancer was the fifth most common cause of death among all patients with cancer, but the second most common cause of death among female patients with cancer in 2018.

Allison Reed, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP

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