News

The human toll of the New England Compounding Center (NECC) tragedy continues to grow as the death count is at 50 and the number of patients sickened now exceeds 722. These cases have been reported, and are being tracked by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 20 states. The impact that this sequence of events has had, is having, and will continue to have on the practice of pharmacy nationwide is of unprecedented magnitude and is of the utmost concern to practicing pharmacists everywhere.

Nesina: a new dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor for the treatment of type 2 diabetes as an adjunct to diet and exercise. Oseni: a fixed-dose combination of alogliptin and pioglitazone. Kazano: a fixed-dose combination of alogliptin and metformin HCl

Recent advances in the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer CRPC) have led to new agents demonstrating overall survival (OS) advantages, including autologous cellular immunotherapy (sipuleucel-T), a new taxane (cabazitaxel), 2 therapies further targeting the androgen axis (abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide), and a bone-seeking alpha emitter (radium-223 chloride). This brief review discusses recent clinical trials utilizing the 2 FDA-approved taxanes that were presented at the 2013 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO), American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), and the Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO).

Although patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a disproportionately higher incidence of herpes zoster, an analysis that included nearly 60,000 patients with RA and other inflammatory diseases found that those who initiated anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapies were not at higher risk of herpes zoster compared with patients who initiated nonbiologic treatment regimens, according to a study appearing in the March 6 issue of JAMA.

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.

On February 1, 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released new regulations about the reporting of fees, meals, travel expenses, and other transfers of value for the implementation of the Physician Payment Sunshine Act (PPSA). These new regulations require that data on the payments and gifts that drug and medical device companies make to physicians will become available publicly in a searchable database beginning in September 2014.1

Patients with type 2 diabetes achieved 6% weight loss with liraglutide 3 mg in a phase 3a obesity trial, according to Novo Nordisk.

Diabetes drugs including exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon), liraglutide (Victoza), sitagliptin (Januvia, Janumet, Janumet XR, Juvisync), saxagliptin (Onglyza, Kombiglyze XR), alogliptin (Nesina, Kazano, Oseni), and linagliptin (Tradjenta, Jentadueto) are being evaluated by FDA for a potential link to pancreatitis and precancerous changes of the pancreas.

Long-term treatment with fixed-combination budesonide/formoterol (Symbicort Turbuhaler, AstraZeneca) was associated with fewer healthcare utilization-defined exacerbations and hospitalizations than fluticasone/salmeterol in patients with moderate and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study published online in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Drugs can be managed through the medical benefit or the pharmacy benefit

Experts expect all 50 states to be up and running on time

Infrastructure needed to ensure organizations live up to the promise of ACOs

New care models and federal requirements motivate HIE stakeholders

Big data can lead to improved outcomes

FDA committees are examining DTC genetic tests that make medical claims

When there's no rhyme or reason, prices spiral out of control

States contract with plans to cover expanded populations, many of which need high-cost care

Medicines that better control glucose and more efficient dosing needed

Medicare Advantage plans must comply with CMS regulations

Short-term impact of exchanges is certain for individual and small group markets

With their unique roles, pharmacists are moving away from being drug dispensers to becoming consultants in ACO models

Experts and economists are looking at healthcare through the lens of their own ideologies

Plans will see the most cost reductions on the medical side of the ledger, but there are still opportunities to reduce administrative waste

Differentiate between products and offer guidance to compare costs

Aetna believes its new fertility program will improve the chances of conception for infertile couples, while controlling costs

With the Medicare star program, plans stand to gain bonus pay when their network providers do well on performance measures

Catalyst for Payment Reform has released a national scorecard describing the current state of value-oriented payment, finding that about 11% of commercial payments are tied to value

FDA has approved rabeprazole sodium (AcipHex Sprinkle, Eisai) Delayed-Release capsules 5 mg and 10 mg for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in children ages 1 to 11 years of age for up to 12 weeks.