Drop in hormone therapy use shows physicians heed clinical trial findings, Stanford researchers say
...to determine the number of prescriptions filled by pharmacies for the drugs in question. They also used a national survey of office-based physicians to determine the number of office visits at which the medications were either newly prescribed or continued. The combination of data helped them track changes in p...Pharmacists play role in cholesterol control
...i said. In the study, which was completed at 42 pharmacies across Canada, patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease and not at their target cholesterol level received consultations with their pharmacist about their condition. The patients' cholesterol levels were measured and they were advised about p...Climara Pro (TM) helps alleviate menopausal hot flashes and night sweats
...sdermal system), is now available to U.S. women in pharmacies nationwide. Climara Pro effectively relieves moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats with the lowest estrogen dose of any combined hormone therapy in a convenient, once-a-week patch. "The availability of Climara Pr...Keep prescribing information private
...tion and question the propriety of the practice of pharmacies selling such information to pharmaceutical companies. The authors recommend a thorough review of the many issues associated with the confidentiality of personal health information. Specifically, the authors call for a committee to be established by ...Painkiller linked to rise in overdose deaths
...ion treatment- the amount of the drug dispensed by pharmacies has more than trebled since 1998, while its use in addiction treatment has hardly changed. This suggests that the rising death toll is mainly due to misuse of methadone prescribed for pain relief. While 40 tablets cost as little as $5 on Medicaid, e...Policy highlights from Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition
...ments Dietary supplements are widely available in pharmacies and other retail outlets but their availability is not necessarily proof that they are safe. Currently, because of a 1994 regulation, dietary supplements are regulated like foods rather than drugs, which means that they are considered to be safe unle...Rx pain medicines hard to find in pharmacies serving minority neighborhoods
...w survey of Michigan pharmacies. Only half of the pharmacies in non-white areas that were surveyed by a Univers...nt aches. That's much lower than the percentage of pharmacies in mostly white areas, where more than 90 percent of pharmacies had the drugs in stock. Overall, re...Seniors reduce or discontinue medications when faced with gap in drug coverage, UCLA study shows
...d coverage. Many of the study participants called pharmacies for lowered prices (46%), asked doctors for samples (34%) or switched to lower cost medications (15%). Researchers were surprised that so many seniors with coverage year-round were also decreasing their medication use because of cost. In fact, one ...Researchers show the BEST way to reduce osteoporosis risk
...ium citrate supplements are sold in drugstores and pharmacies nationwide...Pharmacists want role in drug importation, study shows
... as long as those drugs are channeled through U.S. pharmacies to ensure safety and efficacy, according to a stud... purchase medications from Canada; 44 percent felt pharmacies should be able to legally procure prescription drugs from Canada. If legally permitted, almost 70 pe...First-ever safety study of medical cannabis use in Canada launched
...ent). Government-supplied cannabis will be sent to pharmacies at each site and dispensed to patients there. "Right now, thousands of Canadians are using cannabis to treat their pain," says Dr. Ware. "We need much more information on the safety issues facing these patients. COMPASS is the first-ever attempt...Sex habits of young women unchanged by morning after pill, UCSF study finds
..., allow emergency contraception to be dispensed at pharmacies without a prescription in cases where pharmacists ...ho could get emergency contraception directly from pharmacies were no more likely to use it than women who were assigned to the clinic-access group. And although ...Making emergency contraception readily available does not increase unprotected intercourse
...fect on pregnancy and STIs of access to EC through pharmacies on receiving the medication in advance. The trial included 2,117 women, ages 15 to 24 years, attending 4 California clinics providing family planning services, who were not desiring pregnancy, using long-term hormonal contraception, or requesting EC....First new treatment for alcoholism in ten years, now available Campral(R) (acamprosate calcium)
...lets are now available to physicians, patients and pharmacies nationwide. Campral was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 29, 2004 for the maintenance of abstinence from alcohol in patients with alcohol dependence who are abstinent at treatment initiation. Treatment with Campral shou...Generation gap found in chronic pain
...can also vary by race and ethnicity. For instance, pharmacies in neighborhoods with large minority populations tend not to carry narcotic pain medicines such as morphine. Green hopes that the new study, and others in the special issue of Pain Medicine, will continue to draw the attention of pain researchers and...Immediate access to antibiotics stems spread of sexually transmitted diseases
...he group exposed to the STD. Privately run, local pharmacies willingly participated in the program. If legislators are prepared to relax current restrictions on dispensing, as did Washington state for this study, then it could be effective elsewhere in cities where high rates of gonorrhea and Chlamydia remain...Chlamydia testing in pharmacies: Questions that need addressing
...'s pilot scheme offering free chlamydia testing in pharmacies is to be applauded but a number of issues need to be resolved if it is to be a success, concludes an editorial in this week's issue of THE LANCET. Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease. Recent reports suggest that more ...... for acquiring needles compared to 18 percent from pharmacies and 50 percent who reported needle sellers as their primary source. Twenty-two percent of the participants reported following both safe acquisition and disposal practices. Safe injection and disposal were not associated with HIV, hepatitis C or syrin...