News

An array of both existing and investigational biologic agents are showing efficacy in clearing psoriasis and may prove useful for long-term psoriasis management. So suggests a collection of studies presented at the 60th annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, held recently in New Orleans.

Three-year data have confirmed the effectiveness of a strategy that eliminated all third-generation cephalosporins from a formulary as a means to control the emergence of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE).

Providing formulary information on PDA devices improves formulary compliance and is gaining in physician acceptance as well. These were the findings of a 4-month pilot program involving 104 Connecticut-based physicians conducted by ePocrates and AdvancePCS.

Seldom are the attributes of drugs under formulary consideration conveniently measured on the same scale, and if they are, they typically do not carry the same weight in a decision. Fortunately, application of Multiattribute Utility Technology (MAUT) provides a way to incorporate several valued attributes of disparate weights into a unitary measure for the purpose of evaluating options. This month's column presents the core elements of MAUT and explores its use in the drug evaluation process through a mock formulary committee example.

Rosuvastatin is an investigational HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor expected to gain FDA approval later this year for treatment of hypercholesterolemia. It has significantly exceeded atorvastatin, pravastatin, and simvastatin in reducing LDL cholesterol in clinical trials. This Focus article reviews those trials as well as rosuvastatin's pharmacologic and safety profiles in an effort to delineate its likely role in cholesterol-reducing therapy.

These authors report on their literature search of studies assessing the impact of factors influencing the diffusion of new drug therapies and physicians' adoption and eventual relinquishment of those therapies. They specifically explore how their finds can help better align physician prescribing with formulary objectives.

Seeking help for depression is finally losing some of its stigma. The National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) 2001 Annual Survey Report, "Trends in Behavioral Healthcare Systems," says both hospital occupancy and outpatient visits for behavioral health problems increased 11% and nearly 12%, respectively, between 1999 and 2000.

Sharing information might be the best way to minimize medical errors, but culpability has to be minimized first

Healthcare-specific applications and marketing techniques are among other advantages of CRM software

Ranked by HMO penetration as of January, 2001

Employers feel your pain. Truly. They are not nae to the challenges facing the healthcare industry, and they recognize that there are some areas they need to shore up themselves.

Optimal management can raise health plans' generic utilization rates from the current average of 34.5% to 51%. So concludes a new study from Stanley Wallack, PhD, and other researchers from Brandeis University.

New formulation: Monthly SC injection form of GnRH agonist for advanced prostate cancer

New indication: Oral cancer drug approved to treat rare gastrointestinal tumors

New indication: Biologic cleared for psoriatic arthritis

New indication: Broader allergy indication, new hives indication for nonsedating antihistamine

New biologic: Pegylated form of filgrastim requiring less-frequent administration

New biologic: Factor Xa inhibitor for reducing risk of blood clotsafter orthopedic surgeries

A simple enhancement to Pyxis drug dispensing machines can drastically improve adverse drug event (ADE) capture.

If your organization hasn't yet selected a computerized provider order entry system (CPOE), it will likely benefit from the checklist of features and functionality criteria presented by Richard Diefes, MS.

What's your institution's policy for handling the following situation: A physician wishes to prescribe an FDA-approved drug for an off-label indication for which there is little literature support.

New Orleans-When faced with ensuring the appropriate use of high-risk, high-cost drugs, physician credentialing may be another option worth considering.

The Bush administration's $2 trillion budget proposal for fiscal year 2003 includes $190 billion to improve Medicare, almost half of that aimed to help seniors buy medicines.

Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT-Although the economic advantages of IV to oral (PO) antibiotic conversion programs have been documented in numerous studies, most of these programs require physician contact to encourage the switch.

To retain resources or to justify allocation of additional resources, it's essential to demonstrate the value that outcomes projects bring to organizations. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's project review process serves as a useful model for how to do so. This month's column explores the AHRQ process for following up and communicating the results of outcomes projects conducted at various practice settings.

WellPoint Health Networks plans to take reference drug pricing into new territory-commercial pharmacy benefits.

Medications currently available to treat osteoporosis slow the rate of bone loss primarily by reducing bone resorption. The purported advantage of the anabolic agent teriparatide is that it actually promotes new bone growth. Clinical trials have shown the drug to be effective for vertebral fracture prevention in postmenopausal women at high risk. Additional evidence is accumulating to support teriparatide's use in other populations (including men) with osteoporosis. This injectable is likely to receive FDA approval in the second half of this year.

Pharmacologic therapy is the second cornerstone of the medical management of reflux esophagitis. Because the merits of various drug classes for reflux esophagitis have been widely discussed, the focus of this article is on differing strategies for using these classes. The management strategies - and the rationale and evidence for promoting or rejecting them - are discussed for step-up therapy, empiric therapy, ste-down therapy, on-demand proton pump inhibitor use, combination therapies, and other considerations.