Pharmacy & Therapeutics - May 2008 - (Page 256) CONTENTS Cover: Myocardial infarction, computer artwork. The sudden death of part of the heart muscle often results from a blockage in a coronary artery (blue) on the heart’s surface. See related articles on pages 288 and 296. (Credit: Tim Vernon, LTH NHS Trust / Photo Researchers, Inc.) May 2008 FEATURES Letters to the Editor DRUG UTILIZATION EVALUATION 261 DEPARTMENTS Editorial 258 David Nash, MD, MBA, recounts his testimony before the FDA in which he supported bringing lovastatin (Mevacor) over the counter. Medication Errors 260 Matthew Grissinger, RPh, FASCP, describes the potential for fatal mishaps when the wrong port is selected during the refilling of implantable infusion pumps used for delivering opiates. Prescription: Washington 262 Stephen Barlas delves into some of the shortcomings of Medicare’s adoption of new electronic prescribing standards for formularies. New Drugs/Drug News/ New Medical Devices 264 From Aplenzin to Treximet, P&T presents the latest studies and information about FDA approvals, new indications, recalls, and industry updates. Drug Forecast 271 Omega-3-acid ethyl esters (Lovaza) are now available for treating patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia. 256 P&T® • May 2008 • Vol. 33 No. 5 Prescribing Trends with Daptomycin (Cubicin) For the Treatment of Gram-Positive Infections The injectable agent daptomycin, when prescribed according to approved guidelines, can be a welcome option for treating some multiresistant, gram-positive infections that have become increasingly prevalent. Noreen H. Chan Tompkins, PharmD, and Stephen J. Harnicar, PharmD 282 Effect of Persistence with Drug Therapy On the Risk of Myocardial Re-infarction Medicaid patients who continued with their initial MI-preventive therapy (beta blockers, calcium-channel blockers, or statins) after a heart attack were more likely to avoid re-infarction and death. Fadia T. Shaya, PhD, MPH; Anna Gu, PhD, MS; and Xia Yan, MS MEETING HIGHLIGHTS 288 American College of Cardiology 57th Scientific Sessions, 2008 Presentations cover comparisons of ezetimibe/simvastatin (Vytorin) versus Zocor alone for reducing cholesterol; amlodipine/atorvastatin (Caduet) for preventing myocardial ischemia; extended-release niacin/laropiprant (Cordaptive) for lowering lipid levels; and bivalirudin (Angiomax) versus unfractionated heparin for reducing bleeding after coronary procedures. Reuben B. David 296 Pharmaceutical Approval Update Topics include bendamustine (Treanda) for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, hepatitis B immune globulin (HepaGam B) to prevent hepatitis B infection following liver transplantation, and a fibrin sealant (Artiss) used in skin graft surgery for burn patients. Marvin M. Goldenberg, PhD, RPh, MS 299 Correction: On page 199 of the Prescription: Washington column in the April 2008 issue of P&T, it was incorrectly stated that cocaine was an opiate. As several of our readers reminded us, cocaine is a stimulant, derived from the coca plant. P&T regrets the error.
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