Pharmacy & Therapeutics - February 2008 - (Page 75)

EDITOR’S MEMO content from the embedded hyperlinks. If you’re interested in the products contained in the ads, you will eventually be able to click your mouse inside the ads to get to Web links and product information. In the near future, we also hope to be able to offer additional online-only content, such as audio and visual feeds, PowerPoint downloads, electronic readership surveys, and other interactive features. So tell us what you want—what you really, really want. We might be sticks in the mud when it comes to spelling and grammar, but when it comes to technology, we’re open to, you guessed it, change. I PRESCRIPTION: WASHINGTON continued from page 73 good evidence that even when they are appropriately used, the dose can often be lowered or the drug can be discontinued after several months. EDITORIAL continued from page 69 Rather than trifle with a pretty toughly worded FDA guidance document, Waxman, Grassley, and others, worried about the overuse of off-label drugs, ought to think about requiring physicians to sign off on an authorization before prescribing them. It could be a box on a script. This would commit the doctor to checking on the patient’s handling of the drug every few days or every few weeks, and would assert that the physician understood the risks of that paticular prescription with that particular patient and had explained them to the patient and the patient’s family. The American Medical Association would go bonkers, of course, but maybe just by raising the possibility, the message would get out: that off-label prescribing is serious business. I bet they are already participating, even if I am blissfully unaware. What about your teenagers and other young people you know? Let me hear! As always, you can reach me at my e-mail address, david.nash@jefferson.edu. You can also visit my new blog at http://departmentofhealthpolicy.blogspot.com. REFERENCES 1. Draft guidance. Good Reprint Practices for the Distribution of Medical Journal Articles and Medical or Scientific Reference Publications on Unapproved New Uses of Approved Drugs and Approved or Cleared Medical Devices. October 2007. Available at: http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1641. 2. Casey DA. Pharmacological management of behavioral disturbance in dementia. P&T 2007;32(10):560–566. Available at: www.PTCommunity.com. 3. American Psychiatric Association. Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, 2nd ed. Arlington, VA: October 2007. Available at: www.psych.org/ psych_ pract/treatg/pg/alzpg101007.pdf. I REFERENCES 1. Health 2.0. The Economist, September 8, 2007;16. 2. Baig E. Social networkers reach out more with cell phones. USA Today, November 14, 2007, B:1. 3. Zimmerman R. Text messaging for health. The Wall Street Journal, November 20, 2007, D:1. I COMING SOON TO P&T EDITORIAL Changing Diabetes Care: An Opportunity for the Feds David B. Nash, MD, MBA MEDICATION ERRORS continued from page 70 2. Pucino F, Danielson BD, Carlson JD, et al. Patient tolerance to intravenous potassium chloride with and without lidocaine. Drug Intell Clin Pharm 1988;22:676–679. DRUG FORECAST The Selegiline Transdermal System: A Therapeutic Option for the Treatment Of Major Depressive Disorder Lois Jessen, MS, PharmD; Lawrence J. Kovalick, PharmD; and Albert J. Azzaro, PhD FEATURE ARTICLE Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose: A Pilot Review: Impact of Computer Software Modifications on Compliance The reports described in this column were received through the USP–ISMP Medication Errors Reporting Program (MERP). Errors, close calls, or hazardous conditions may be reported on the ISMP (www.ismp.org) or the USP (www.usp.org) Web site or communicated directly to ISMP by calling 1-800-FAILSAFE or via e-mail at ismpinfo@ismp.org. I Anita D. Patel, BA, PharmD; Viktoria Kharlamb, PharmD; Arthur P. Reiter, BS, MS; and Ron Lovly, MS, RPh Vol. 33 No. 2 • February 2008 • P&T® 75 http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1641 http://departmentofhealthpolicy.blogspot.com http://www.PTCommunity.com http://www.psych.org/psych_pract/treatg/pg/alzpg101007.pdf http://www.psych.org/psych_pract/treatg/pg/alzpg101007.pdf http://www.ismp.org http://www.usp.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Pharmacy & Therapeutics - February 2008

Pharmacy & Therapeutics - February 2008 Contents Editorial Medication Errors Prescription: Washington The Language of (Forgive Us) Change, As P&T Enters the Digital Age New Drugs/Drug News/New Medical Devices Drug Forecast Use and Outcomes of Antifibrinolytic Therapy in Patients Undergoing Cardiothoracic Surgery at 20 Academic Medical Centers in the United States Evaluation of the Management of Acute Venous Thromboembolism and Its Outcomes: One Institution's Experience American Society of Hematology, 49th Annual Meeting Pharmaceutical Approval Update

Pharmacy & Therapeutics - February 2008

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