Drug Topics - November 10, 2008 - (Page 8)

Up front INDUSTRY NEWS & ANALYSIS Judge upholds pharmacy tobacco ban A San Francisco judge recently denied Philip Morris’ request for a temporary restraining order that would have prevented San Francisco city and county of cials from enforcing an ordinance stopping some pharmacies from selling tobacco products. The ordinance, No. 194-08, went into effect Oct. 1. It was introduced by city Mayor Gavin Newsom and is modeled on similar bans in eight Canadian provinces. The board of supervisors passed the legislation on two consecutive eight-to-three votes. The ordinance affects 52 of 54 Walgreens stores in the city. Walgreens’ other two stores do not have pharmacy operations and will be allowed to continue tobacco sales. Other chain pharmacies, including Rite-Aid and Longs Drugs, will also have to eliminate their tobacco counters. Other states to consider similar bans include New Hampshire, Illinois, and Tennessee, where bills are pending to ban pharmacies with walk-in clinics from selling tobacco. A bill in New York would apply to all pharmacies. For the full story, visit www.drugtopics.com. Cigarettes and other tobacco products were removed from most pharmacies in San Francisco. CONSUMER PROTECTION DRUG APPROVAL J.D. POWER STUDY Congress targets illegal online pharmacies The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is applauding passage of the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act designed to curb online prescription drug trafficking, abuse, and availabilty. The recently passed bill amends the Controlled Substance Act by requiring face-to-face prescribing, DEAendorsement before a pharmacy can dispense, and stiffer penalties for violators. “Cyber-criminals illegally peddling controlled substances over the Internet have invaded households and threatened America’s youth for far too long by supplying pharmaceuticals with a few clicks of a mouse and a credit card,” Michele Leonhart, acting DEA administrator, said. FDA approves Reyataz combination for HIV-1 patients The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of Reyataz (atazanavir) 300 mg once daily with ritonavir 100 mg as part of combination therapy in previously untreated HIV-1 infected patients. Reyataz is a prescription medicine used in combination with other medicines to treat people with the HIV virus. “Bristol-Meyers Squibb is committed to developing medicines that enhance the care of people living with HIV and AIDS,” ElReyataz liot Sigal, a executive vice president of Bristol-Meyers, the maker of the drug, said. “Boosted Reyataz provides healthcare professionals with a newly-approved, once-daily dosing option as part of [combo] therapy.” Patients like $4 generics Patients in ﬂat-rate generic prescription programs are more satisﬁed with their pharmacies than those who are not part of such programs, according to a new study. Additionally, Target, Medicine Shoppe, Ralphs, Publix, Wegmans, and Hy-Vee have the highest pharmacy customer satisfaction rates in J.D. Power and Associates’ 2008 National Pharmacy Study. The study found that satisfaction rates among brick-and-mortar pharmacy customers who participate in ﬂat-rate prescription programs averages 826 on a 1,000-point scale, compared with 817 among customers who don’t participate in these programs. The customer satisfaction leaders in each market segment were based on factors such as medication availability and information, cost competitiveness, and ordering convenience. W W W.D R U GTO P I C S .C O M 8 DRUG TOPICS N OV. 10, 2008 COURTESY OF BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB (BOTTOM); COURTESY OF BOB GORDON (TOP) http://www.drugtopics.com http://WWW.DRUGTOPICS.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Drug Topics - November 10, 2008

Drug Topics - November 10, 2008 Contents Up Front Up Front in Depth Letters Rx Care Government Community Practice First Responders Clinical Practice Self-Care FDA Safety Page Weighing the Complications of Obesity New Products Viewpoint

Drug Topics - November 10, 2008

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