RxPATROL™ (Pattern Analysis Tracking Robberies and Other Losses) now includes loss of over-the-counter (OTC) and related products from drugstores. Launched in June 2003, this information clearinghouse was originally designed to collect, analyze, and share information on pharmacy robberies, burglaries, and theft of prescription medications. The system is intended to guard against potential theft and to [...]
Patients with back and neck pain who divide the most commonly prescribed muscle relaxant may be getting anywhere from half to 1.5 times the amount of medicine that they believe they are taking and may be receiving too much or too little medication. Researchers at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, The State [...]
Schwarz Pharma AG has received final approval from the FDA to market carbi-dopa-levodopa (Parcopa™) orally disintegrating tablets. The drug’s unique formulation dissolves rapidly in the mouth, thereby providing patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease with improved access to their medication. generic prevacid In comparison with their current tablets, patients preferred Parcopa™ for several reasons associated with [...]
The FDA is expected to approve a tiny corrective lens, to be implanted directly in the eye, for severely nearsighted patients. These patients are not candidates for laser surgery because the laser would destroy too much of the cornea. Over time, the procedure might be used for those with more mildly impaired vision and may [...]
A new product, called ShrinkSafe® ID Bands (EPS, Inc.), is available to help reduce medication errors involving look-alike drugs. The band is designed to easily wrap around virtually all 10-ml vials containing paralytic agents. Its bright orange color alerts practitioners that special handling is required for the drug. cetirizine 10mg A quick exposure to heat shrinks [...]
Enfuvirtide (Fuzeon®, Roche/Trimeris) is a 36-amino-acid synthetic peptide that prevents completion of the HIV fusion sequence. Clinical trials suggest that adding this agent to a salvage regimen in heavily treated patients may improve virological response. Patients who are receiving two or more antiretroviral drugs, those who have received two or more antiretroviral drugs in the [...]
Researchers have come up with a suggestion for how to simplify treatment for patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT): a once-daily subcutaneous injection of fondaparinux (Arixtra®, Organon/ Sanofi-Synthelabo) instead of twice-daily enoxaparin (Lovenox®, Aventis). In a randomized, double-blind study in 2,205 patients in 154 centers worldwide, the two drugs were similar in efficacy and safety. [...]
