Drug Topics - November 26, 2007 - (Page 9)

9 the drug to them. Letairis is used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension, a disease marked by high blood pressure in the lung’s pulmonary arteries. The disease causes the arteries to narrow and eventually become blocked, which can lead to heart failure if left untreated. Community Pharmacy Michigan pharmacists launch MTM company The Michigan Pharmacists Association announced the formation of Well Street Care Management, a medication therapy service company. Well Street will serve as a contracting agent for its network of pharmacies, which will include pharmacies from any practice setting. The company expects to offer MTM services to patients with chronic diseases as well as those at risk of developing a chronic disease. As its client base grows, Well Street will be developing a rich database of outcomes information. This information will serve to demonstrate the value of the Well Street MTM program to its current clients, as well as to provide proven demonstration for potential new clients. association opposes feminine hygiene douching practices. Research has shown a relationship between vaginal douching and several adverse health outcomes such as pelvic inflammatory disease, bacterial vaginosis, cervical cancer, HIV transmission, and infertility. APHA is urging the FDA to review its regulations on feminine hygiene douching products and require research on the safety of douching. In addition, the association recommends that the public health community increase its efforts to provide women with culturally competent information about the risks of douching. More information is available at www.apha.org. Full policies will be available on-line in January. New Jersey insists pharmacists have duty to dispense New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine signed into law legislation requiring pharmacists to dispense medications such as birth control or emergency contraception. The bill was signed just days after Pope Benedict XVI insisted that pharmacists had a right to object to dispensing such medications. According to the National Women’s Law Center, seven states have legislation requiring pharmacists to dispense and another seven have laws prohibiting pharmacists from interfering with patients’ ability to fill a prescription elsewhere. Currently, only four states explicitly permit pharmacists to refuse to dispense medications Gov. Jon Corzine based on moral objections. The New Jersey law is not limited to birth control or other types of medication but instead prohibits pharmacists from refusing “to dispense or refill a prescription or medication order solely on the grounds that to dispense or refill the prescription or medication order would contravene the pharmacist’s philosophical, moral, or religious beliefs.” CommunityCareRx provides more than 70,000 MTM services CommunityCareRx program beneficiaries have received more than 70,000 medication therapy management services since June 2006. According to Mirixa, which administers MTM services for CCRx, close to 30,000 sessions have been offered this year alone. MTM sessions were delivered by pharmacists in person as well as over the telephone. Currently only a fraction of the total MTM plans available are open to community pharmacists. Mirixa also announced the release of MirixaPro 2.3, a clinical software suite that is available in more than 80% of U.S. pharmacies. Pharmacists using MirixaPro identified potential drug safety issues in more than 70% of patients served. California fire victims get help accessing prescription medicines The Partnership for Prescription Assistance’s (PPA) “Help Is Here Express” national bus tour will tour wildfire-ravaged areas of Southern California, attempting to help uninsured and underinsured victims access the medicines they need. The Help Is Here Express bus traveling through Southern California is equipped with computer terminals and phones and staffed by trained specialists so patients can find out if they may be eligible for free or nearly free medications. Patients who can’t make it to the bus can visit www.pparx.org or call 1-(888) 4PPA-NOW. Operators field calls from patients in 150 languages. The PPA is a national clearinghouse and a single point of access to more than 475 patient assistance programs. Public health group opposes feminine hygiene douching practices The American Public Health Association (APHA) recently adopted 20 policies addressing a wide spectrum of health-related issues, including one on personal hygiene, at its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. The http://www.apha.org http://www.nwlc.org/details.cfm?id=2185&section=ReproductiveChoices http://www.drugtopics.com/drugtopics/Medicare+Part+D+News/Community-pharmacists-gain-small-MTM-foothold/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/438664?contextCategoryId=25105 http://www.pparx.org

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Drug Topics - November 26, 2007 Contents Cough & Cold Recommendations May Impact Other Products More Novelty OTCs Elbow Onto Store Shelves Medication Reconciliation Policies Incomplete at Many Hospitals Hospitals Regress in Reconciling Drugs in 2006 Latest News Roundup

Drug Topics - November 26, 2007

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