Pharmacy
FDA Cracks Down on Dietary Supplements
Yesterday, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the Food and Drug Administration’s Commissioner, announced a new plan to crack down on dietary supplement makers who claim their products can prevent, treat or cure certain diseases. Gottlieb revealed the FDA sent twelve warning letters and five advisory letters to companies whose products are being illegally marketed as unapproved new drugs…
Read MoreMichigan Board of Pharmacy Sued Over Marijuana Schedule I Status
Earlier this week, longtime marijuana advocate John Sinclair, and others, including a physician, a pharmacist, a medical marijuana patient and the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association, sued the Michigan Board of Pharmacy (Michigan Board) seeking to declassify marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance in Michigan. The Michigan Board has the power to schedule, re-schedule or…
Read MoreNew Prescription Law in California Causing Problems
According to the California Department of Public Health, about 2,000 Californians die annually from opioid overdoses. To address the opioid crisis, California, like many other states across the nation, continue to enact new laws that address the prescribing of opioid medications. On January 1, 2019, Assembly Bill (AB) 1753 took effect. AB 1753, in short, requires: (1)…
Read MoreFDA Approves Potent New Opioid Sulfentanil Despite Abuse Warnings
Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug Dsuvia (Sulfentanil – sublingual 30mcg tablet), a potent synthetic opioid, for the management of acute pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic for adult patients in certified medically supervised healthcare settings such as hospitals, surgical centers and emergency departments. Intravenous Sulfentanil has been used…
Read MoreEmpowering Pharmacists in the Fight Against Opioid Abuse Act
Yesterday, President Trump signed into law the “Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act, or, for short, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. Chapter 2 of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act empowers pharmacists in the fight against opioid abuse and is appropriately titled as such:…
Read MoreColorado Limits Access to Products with Dextromethorphan
On August 8, 2018, House Bill 18-1307, which limits access to products with dextromethorphan, went into effect. Dextromethorphan is an active ingredient in many over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines as it is widely used as a cough suppressant. When taken according to labeling instructions, dextromethorphan can be safe and effective. However, when dextromethorphan is taken in…
Read MoreFDA’s Efforts to Advance Antimicrobial Stewardship in Veterinary Settings
Antimicrobial drugs, when used correctly, fight infections, but when antimicrobials are overused or misused, they promote antimicrobial resistant bacteria. Efforts at implementing good antimicrobial stewardship practices have been a mainstay in human healthcare for years and remains a top priority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, over the passed few years the FDA…
Read MoreOklahoma Board of Pharmacy Fires Executive Director
The Oklahoma Board of Pharmacy fired its Executive Director, Chelsea Church, after state investigators acknowledged Church is the target of a bribery probe involving text messages with a Oklahoma State Health Department general counsel Julie Ezell, who was involved writing the state’s new medical marijuana rules. In the text messages, Church appears to have offered…
Read MoreOK Board of Health Votes to Ban Sales of Smokeable Marijuana
Earlier this week, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed the emergency rules on a medical marijuana program that was approved by the Oklahoma Board of Health two weeks after Oklahomans voted to approve legalizing medical marijuana. Part of these rules included: Banning sales smokeable forms of medical marijuana from sale in dispensaries (i.e. flowers and leaves),…
Read MoreReimbursing Certain Pharmacists’ Services: A New Colorado Bill
Colorado House Bill 18-1112 (HB 18-1112) was approved by the Colorado State Legislature earlier this year and signed by Governor Hickenlooper on April 9, 2018. The Bill is set to take effect on August 8, 2018. HB 18-1112 requires a health benefit plan to provide coverage for health care services provided by a pharmacist if:…
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