Drug Topics - October 29, 2007 - (Page 12)

12 DRUG TOPICS OCTOBER 29, 2007 www.drugtopics.com > > > The Week at a Glance Friday 10/19/07 Pharmacy technician awarded Silver Star for valor A 32-year-old pharmacy technician from West Virginia has become the first U.S. Army Reserve soldier to receive the Silver Star for valor in Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Jason Fetty of Parkersburg, W.V., prevented a suicide bomber from detonating an explosivepacked vest during the dedication of a hospital emergency room built by his team in Khost. Standing guard outside the hospital, Fetty noticed the bomber approach the Staff Sgt. Jason Fetty area, where provincial officials, soldiers, and residents had gathered to celebrate the Feb. 20 opening of the emergency room. Fetty prevented the bomber from snatching his weapon, led him behind a wall, and shot him to prevent him from getting closer to the crowd. “I can’t tell you how scary it is when you blow someone’s kneecap off and they still get up and come at you,” he recalled. After he fired a second shot into the man’s stomach, the bomber detonated his vest, wounding Fetty and several others. For months after the incident, Fetty secondguessed his actions and regretted that the bombing injured other people. But as his physical wounds healed, he realized he’d made the best of a bad situation. “You make 100 decisions in a matter of seconds…. I’m thankful that everything worked out.” R.Ph. aims to make pharmacies a destination for immunizations Interested in providing immunizations but don’t know how to proceed? There’s help available from Beverly Schaefer, R.Ph., of Katterman’s Pharmacy in Seattle. Schaefer has obtained funds from the Community Pharmacy Foundation to help pharmacies become a destination for immunizations. Schaefer, who has offered immunizations not only for flu and pneumonia but also for travel and more exotic diseases such as yel- Beverly Schaefer low fever, said providing these shots is a profitable business. Her pharmacy has done it for 10 years. Those who are interested in learning more can e-mail her at ImmunProject@gmail.com. FDA committee recommends use of phosphate binders predialysis An FDA advisory committee has voted in favor of using phosphate binders in predialysis patients with hyperphosphatemia. The products are currently used for patients on dialysis. The FDA’s advisory committee on cardiovascular and renal products believes that there is a benefit to extending such therapy before the start of dialysis. Buoyed by the news are drug firms that market products for hyperphosphatemia, such as Genzyme, which sells Renagel (sevelamer HCl), and Shire Pharmaceuticals, which offers noncalcium Fosrenol (lanthanum carbonate). Former CMS adviser Kocot joins Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal S. Lawrence Kocot, former senior adviser to the CMS administrator, has joined Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP’s national Health Care Group as senior counsel in its Washington, D.C., office. Kocot’s practice focuses on strategic business advice, public law and policy, and healthcare regulatory issues. While at CMS, he served as a member of the senior executive team responsible for managing policy and operations for the Medicare, Medicaid, and State Children’s Health Insurance Programs. He also was a key member of the management staff responsible for the launch of Medicare Part D. Kocot is currently a visiting fellow in the Economic Studies Program at the Brookings Institution and deputy director of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at Brookings. Mirixa introduces pharmacy marketing newsletter Mirixa has announced the creation of RxFYI, a weekly electronic newsletter. The free newsletter can be customized by pharmacies and is intended to enhance patient loyalty and generate revenue. Mirixa will provide participating pharmacies with the newsletter’s content, manage the advertising, and provide participating pharmacies with all the marketing tools to promote patient registration. Groups tell Congress to back off fight over ESA dosing decisions A handful of consumer and health groups have fired the latest salvo in the ongoing battle over Medicare reimbursements for anemia drugs. In a letter sent Wednesday to Congress, the groups—including Consumers Union, U.S. PIRG, the National Research Center for Women & Families, the National Women’s Health Network, and the Center for Medical Consumers—urged lawmakers to http://www.drugtopics.com

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Drug Topics - October 29, 2007 Contents N.J. R.Ph.s Take AMP Fight to Congress Oral Care Product Sales Holding Steady Still More Stellar Independent Pharmacies Students to Students: Check Out Our Book The Week at a Glance

Drug Topics - October 29, 2007

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