Sun says FDA again faults plant that is its key launch site for U.S. drugs

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

https://www.fiercepharma.com/manufacturing/sun-says-fda-has-again-found-fault-plant-its-launch-site-for-u-s-drugs After more than three years of effort and a couple of reinspections, India’s Sun Pharma has been unable to satisfy the the FDA’s expectations for its key plant.   Sun Pharma, India’s largest generic drugmaker, said that at today’s conclusion of it the FDA’s latest reinspection of its Halol plant in Gujarat, India, it […]

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House kicks off opioid legislative agenda, but appropriators will steer the money

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20180222/NEWS/180229964 The U.S. House of Representatives is launching an intense legislative push to try to stem the opioid epidemic as the last big healthcare initiative before the election cycle, but the priorities for the new $6 billion allocated to address the crisis will fall to Congress’ appropriators. The House Energy and Commerce Committee is kicking […]

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IASP Statement on Opioids

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

https://www.iasp-pain.org/Advocacy/OpioidPositionStatement Opioids are indispensable for the treatment of severe short-lived pain during acute painful events and at the end of life (e.g., pain associated with cancer). Currently, no other oral medication offers immediate and effective relief of severe pain. Although opioids can be highly addictive, opioid addiction rarely emerges when opioids are used for short-term […]

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Benzodiazepine Harms Overlooked, Especially in Older Adults

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/892983 As attention remains focused on opioid abuse, another drug epidemic rages outside the spotlight: inappropriate prescription of benzodiazepines. In an editorial published in the February 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Anna Lembke, MD, Jennifer Papac, MD, and Keith Humphreys, PhD, from Stanford University School of Medicine in California, point out […]

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Lawmakers, Pharmacists Meet with CVS over Regulation of Pharmacy Benefit Managers

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

http://www.arkansasmatters.com/news/local-news/lawmakers-pharmacists-meet-with-cvs-over-regulation-of-pharmacy-benefit-managers/985681024 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Hundreds of pharmacists and patients from every corner of the state spilled out of the Old Supreme Court Room at the capitol Wednesday to fight for change.  The nearly 750 pharmacies in Arkansas noticed cuts to their drug reimbursement rates at the beginning of the year. They have been working […]

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