Teenager’s Prescription Drug Abuse
March 20, 2008
It seems that I am hearing more and more about young people abusing prescription medicine.
Just this morning in my daily search for this website’s content I came across 2 shocking storys, one with horrible consequences.
In item number one, 9 middle school girls from Missouri had to be hospitalized after ingesting Methadone. It was given to them by a 16 year old boy the knew on their school bus.
And in item number two, a 17 year old football player died after after overdosing on Fentanyl, placing 2 patches underneath each arm.
Lot’s of time and money are spent trying to educate children on the dangers of drug abuse. Are we doing something wrong here? Or are the kids just stubborn and unwilling to listen?
It all starts at home. And above all, after the “drugs are bad” talk, If the parents have dangerous drugs like this laying around within easy access to the young people, they are just as guilty.
Newer Insights Into the Prevention of the Common Cold
March 19, 2008
This accredited program is targeted to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. The goal of this lesson is to educate pharmacists and techs about the occurrence and transmission of the common cold and to provide accurate information to patients regarding methods of prevention.
The exam is offerd by US Pharmacist. Click Here to view the lesson.
CVS fined for dispensing pricier drug
March 19, 2008
(Via AFP) CVS/Caremark has agreed to pay 36.7 million dollars to settle a government probe that it improperly dispensed a pricier drug to patients, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
The Justice Department said that CVS switched patients from a tablet version of the ranitidine (Zantac) to a more expensive capsule version.
Officials claimed CVS did this, between 2000 and 2006, to gain bigger government reimbursements related to patients who receive government assistance to pay for their drugs.
“This settlement represents our continuing commitment to vigorously prosecute fraud in government health care programs,” said Jeffrey Bucholtz, a senior Justice Department official.
Investigators said that the practice enabled CVS in some instances to charge almost 63 dollars more for a single prescription of 60 ranitidine capsules than if it had provided tablets.
CVS confirmed the settlement, but denied any wrongdoing.
The pharmacy giant said it stocked capsule versions of the drug because its acquisition costs for capsules had been lower than for tablets.
CPhT Can not be Trademarked
March 17, 2008
The United States Patent and Trademark Office confirmed that no parties can legally block Certified Pharmacy Technicians from using the designation CPhT.
The US Patent and Trademark Office rejected the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board ‘s (PTCB) trademark application on the grounds that the term was descriptive in nature – the same principal that prevents individuals from creating confusion by trade marking descriptive terms such as “RPh” or “PharmD.”
After filing an appeal, PTCB then agreed that it must abandon its attempt to trademark the CPhT designation. The Patent and Trademark Office received comments from several organizations, including The Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT), who certifies technicians via their ExCPT® Exam.
The ruling confirms that ExCPT®-certified technicians have the right to use the CPhT designation. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board issued its final order on December 18, 2007.
Webmasters Comments:
This creates an inconsistency on competency levels. Can we be assured that the many different accrediting agency’s are of the same difficulty level? Than one who passed the PTCB was tested on the same knowledge and skills as the ExCPT counterparts?
When someone is granted the designation of PharmD or RPh we are assured that the person has graduated from an accredited pharmacy school and passed a state board of pharmacy exam. Can we be so sure with any fly-by-night Tech exam that may be offered? If someone passes an exam given by the coorperation they work for are they then “Certified”?
Something needs to change.
Dennis Quaid on 60 Minutes
March 17, 2008
Dennis Quaid describes a harrowing scene with “blood everywhere” as doctors and nurses worked to save his newborn twins after they were given an overdose of a blood thinner.
“They were working on (my son) Boone whose belly button would not stop bleeding, and while they were trying to … clamp it, blood squirted across the room about six feet and landed on the wall. It was blood everywhere,” the actor recalls to CBS’ “60 Minutes.” Read more
Conscious Objection
March 14, 2008
Story via The Assoiciated Press (Montana):
Montana needs to find a way, either through administrative rule or legislation, to protect consumer access when pharmacists refuse to dispense contraceptives because of religious beliefs, a Planned Parenthood of Montana spokeswoman said Tuesday.
The organization will present its case, along with model language for a new state rule or law, at the Montana Board of Pharmacy’s April meeting. One possible strategy would include allowing nonpharmacists to dispense prepackaged birth control, said Stacey Anderson, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Montana. Read more
Numbers of Pharmacy Techs on the rise
March 10, 2008
The ranks of pharmacy technicians are growing at more than twice the rate of pharmacists, according to the 2008 National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Survey of Pharmacy Law. The survey includes statistical data on the number of licenses and certifications granted by state boards of pharmacy and detailed information about pharmacy regulations and policies in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
Between July 2006 and July 2007, the number of technicians jumped 12.7% to 284,421. During the same period, the number of licensed pharmacists increased at a more modest rate—4.5%—reaching 392,097. Because many pharmacists are licensed to practice in more than one state, NABP also tracks the number of pharmacists with in-state addresses to pro-vide a clearer picture of the number of licensed pharmacists. The number of in-state licensed pharmacists grew at a similar rate: 4.1% to 264,960. Read more
CE: Pharmacist responsibilities regarding Medication Guides
March 10, 2008
Not too many TECH Specific CE’s out there for me to point you to. Even if the credit won’t apply (it might), this one is worth a look.
The amount of drug products requiring a Medication Guide has dramatically increased since the program began in 1998. From Anti-Depressants to NSAIDs, It is important for pharmacists to be aware of their responsibilities under the Medication Guide program.
DrugTopics has the CE. Click here for more information.
Commonly Confused Drug Names
March 10, 2008
The U.S. Pharmacopeia has developed a new listing of look-alike, soundalike drug names that are often confused, leading to drug errors.
DrugTopics is offering a download of the document in PDF format for your referance. Click Here to download the document.
Prescription drugs found in drinking water across US
March 10, 2008
A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.
Officials in Philadelphia say testing there discovered 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water.
The concentrations of these drugs are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose.
But the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.
In the course of a five-month inquiry, the AP discovered that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas — from Southern California to Northern New Jersey, from Detroit, Michigan, to Louisville, Kentucky. Read more
