OTC Plan B One-Step approved for ages 15 and older

On April 30, FDA approved the amended application for the emergency contraceptive that was submitted by its manufacturer, Teva Women's Health Inc. Teva had previously asked FDA to make Plan B One-Step available OTC for all women of reproductive age, but FDA rejected that application in December 2011. » Full article

FDA issues safety warning about anti-seizure drug

FDA issued a warning April 26 that the anti-seizure drug, ezogabine (Potiga) may cause pigment changes in the retina as well as blue skin discoloration. It is not known if the changes are permanent, according to an FDA drug safety communication.
» Full article

Valproate use in pregnancy linked to autism

Prenatal exposure to valproate significantly increased the risk of autism spectrum disorder and childhood autism in the offspring of mothers who took the anti-epileptic agent, according to a study published in the April 24 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. » Full article

Addressing gaps in oversight of pharmaceutical compounding

A draft bill that hopes to address regulatory gaps in oversight of pharmaceutical compounding would give the FDA authority to regulate compounding manufacturers that make sterile products without, or in advance of, a prescription and sell them across state lines, according to a statement by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. » Full article

Negative ideas about statins lead to failure to fill Rx

Patients who fail to fill a new prescription for statin therapy have a number of reasons, including negative perceptions about the medication, a preference for lifestyle modifications, concerns about side effects, drug interactions, polypharmacy, and a perception that they do not need the drug, according to a study published by The American Journal of Managed Care. » Full article

Continuing Education

New CPE Series: Pain Management Considerations

Welcome to our new CPE series: Pain Management Considerations for Medication Therapy Management, which has been designed for pharmacists who take care of patients who need pain relief. You can earn up to 10 credits from April 2013-August 2013 with 5 monthly knowledge-based activities and 2 credits from September 2013-October 2013 with 2 monthly interactive online case studies. The April activity covers concepts and definitions of pain management.

To read and print the article with TEST QUESTIONS, click here. To proceed to the online exams and earn up to 2 CPE credits, click here to login.

LIVE EVENT!

Medication Therapy Management for Patients with Diabetes CPE Series

Reserve the dates—May 22 or May 23—to attend an innovative 6-hour live program at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy campus. Learn motivational interviewing skills, apply medication therapy management concepts to patients with diabetes, and practice your new skills to earn 6 CPE credits and a certificate of achievement (additional 6 CPE credits are awarded for post-activity requirements) – for a total of 12 CPE credits.

Prerequisite: Completion prior to the event of the 7 knowledge-based and 3 application-based activities in this CPE series by University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy and Drug Topics.

Click here for more information and to register.

New online interactive case studies available now

The second case study, Case Studies in Diabetes Care-Part 2, is available, offering you an opportunity to apply diabetes management concepts from the Drug Topics knowledge-based diabetes series. Earn 1 hour of CPE credit for completing each individual application-based activity.

Log in: www.drugtopics.com/casestudies
To begin Part 1, click on Course Catalog ID: 2013-02-2.
To begin Part 2, click on Course Catalog ID: 2013-03-2.

Announcement: Welcome to the new user registration process. This new process requires all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to provide or update their NABP e-Profile ID in order to electronically keep track of CPE credits from ACPE-accredited providers. If you have not done so, you can obtain your NABP e-Profile ID now at www.MyCPEmonitor.net. This profile will enable you to have one login for all the NABP programs and services you will need throughout your career.

Review of the pharmacologic arsenal for the war on obesity

Obesity has become a highly prevalent chronic condition that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Studies have demonstrated that even as little as 5% to 10% of weight loss is associated with an improvement in cardiovascular risk factors and a reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes in high-risk patients. Prior to the recent approval of lorcaserin and extended-release phentermine/topiramate, there had been no new pharmacologic agents approved for the treatment of obesity for 13 years. This article reviews the pharmacologic treatment of obesity including past treatment options, lessons learned in recent years, current short- and long-term treatment options, and future direction. Formulary considerations of currently available agents are discussed. » Full article

• Age restriction on emergency contraception lifted

• Combination glaucoma drop without beta-blocker approved

• Prenatal folic acid may lower risk of autism

• ApotheCure and NuVision compounding pharmacies recall

• Awareness fuels increase in self-reported hypertension

SURVEY

With several noninterferon-based drug regimens in development for the treatment of hepatitis C, what do see as the future of the pegylated interferon products (eg, Pegasys; Peg-Intron)?

— Continue to remain the gold standard for
treatment-naïve patients

— Shared first-line role with newer
non-interferon regimens

— Reserved primarily for 2nd-line use in
patients failing interferon-free regimen

— Very minimal role moving forward

Click Here to let us know.

RESOURCES

Drug Watch

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