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Latest Pharmacy Articles
Diabetes Pharmacy Article Archives
November 2011
There's nothing quite like wondering how you're going to pay for prescriptions. I find it odd that we usually don't know what our out-of-pocket cost will be until we're standing in front of the pharmacy staff and praying that we have enough in our wallet to cover it. I often feel like a reality show contestant waiting for the grand total. My pharmacy-based reality show would probably be called "The Biggest Payer," or perhaps "The Amazing Guess," or, aptly, "Survivor." If you've ever walked away from the pharmacy counter embarrassed, panicked, or depressed, you know the feeling I'm referring to. It's a pain no prescription can cure.
36 comments - Posted Nov 26, 2011
July 2011
Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly have begun sales of Tradjenta, a drug for type 2 diabetes, in U.S. pharmacies. The drug (generic name linagliptin) comes in tablet form and is intended to compete with Amylin Pharmaceuticals' Byetta, which is injected, and Merck's Januvia, which also competes with Byetta. Both are well-established in the U.S. market.
2 comments - Posted Jul 27, 2011
Nipro Diagnostics, Inc., and NeuroMetrix, Inc., have announced that they will seek opportunities to sell their soon-to-be-introduced NC-stat® DPNCheckTM neuropathy test in retail medical clinics nationwide. The test, conducted onsite, evaluates neuropathies, including diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).
1 comment - Posted Jul 16, 2011
June 2011
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said that starting on November 18, 2011, it will restrict retail pharmacy sales of three diabetes drugs manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline: the stand-alone Avandia (rosiglitazone) and the combination drugs Avandamet (rosiglitazone and metformin) and Avandaryl (rosiglitazone and glimepiride).
0 comments - Posted Jun 11, 2011
The makers of "PhoneMyDoctor," a new telemedicine service, say it offers the ability integrate patient calls, doctor feedback, pharmacy ordering, and follow-up instructions into one documented record, using a medical practice's existing telephone equipment.
0 comments - Posted Jun 7, 2011
May 2011
There's more to that little box of pen needles than meets the eye, according to Holly Hartshorn of UltiMed. In early March, UltiMed launched a 50-count box of UltiCare pen needles into the marketplace. We spoke to Holly to find out exactly what kind of thought goes into such a product before it appears on pharmacy shelves.
3 comments - Posted May 17, 2011
April 2011
Jeff and Natalie Kolok live in northwestern Vermont with their three children: Naomi, 16, and Johanna and Nicholas, each ten years old. Both Johanna and Nicholas have type 1 diabetes, Johanna since age four and Nick since age six.
0 comments - Posted Apr 7, 2011
February 2011
Ross Valley Pharmacy, tucked away inside a larger building of clinics, is not a big place, but it's very very busy. Its owner, Paul Lofholm, PharmD, has a vision of the pharmacist's role that goes far beyond simply putting pills in bottles. He sees pharmacists as integral members of the healthcare team who can fill the gaps in patients' education about their conditions and their medications.
0 comments - Posted Feb 21, 2011
Ross Valley Pharmacy, tucked away inside a larger building of clinics, is not a big place, but it's very very busy. Its owner, pharmacist Paul Lofholm, has a vision of the pharmacist's role that goes far beyond simply putting pills in bottles. He sees pharmacists as integral members of the healthcare team who can fill the gaps in patients' education about their conditions and their medications.
0 comments - Posted Feb 20, 2011
Nearly one in six people in the United States has no health insurance. If you have diabetes, that's a very tough position to be in. There are, however, resources that can cut the costs that you have been paying out of pocket for medicines and supplies.
0 comments - Posted Feb 14, 2011
November 2010
The newest threat to patient health may not be the flu or other epidemics. It could be a major shortage of prescription drugs. The shortage has reached the level of a "national public health crisis," according to a survey conducted by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) this summer. Survey respondents said shortages in the past year were "the worst ever, without a glimmer of hope for any improvement in the near future."
0 comments - Posted Nov 27, 2010
October 2009
A South African university pharmacologist has found that simultaneous consumption of metformin and grapefruit juice raises lactic acid to dangerous levels in rats (and conceivably in people) with type 2 diabetes. Too much acid in the blood can cause low pH levels that interfere with the body's metabolic functions. Conceivably, says Dr. Peter Owira, a pharmacologist at the University of KawZulu-Natal, such low levels could be fatal.
5 comments - Posted Oct 26, 2009
June 2009
Drug companies spend billions of dollars on research, and it's obvious that they spend more billions on advertising. Well, according to the New York Times, they spend the most billions on giving nice things to doctors: pens, samples, banquets, trips, and educational opportunities among them. For doctors, in fact, there is a free lunch: Pharma companies spend as much as a billion a year just on lunches for doctors. And over 90 percent of doctors have accepted at least some of this largesse from the industry.
5 comments - Posted Jun 12, 2009
March 2009
Physicians who treat people with type 2 diabetes face difficult choices when selecting the best medical therapy for each patient. The decision process is further complicated by the fact that because type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease, therapeutic agents that were initially successful may fail five or ten years later.
148 comments - Posted Mar 20, 2009
December 2008
Avandia (rosiglitazone) and Actos (pioglitazone), two medications used to lower blood sugar in type 2 patients, double the risk of fractures in women, but not in men, says a new study.
0 comments - Posted Dec 22, 2008
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recommended that companies manufacturing diabetes treatment drugs provide evidence that their products will not increase cardiovascular risks.
0 comments - Posted Dec 22, 2008
August 2008
If your summer travels take you south of the border into Mexico, pharmacists say you should avoid the temptation of saving a few dollars by purchasing your medications at farmacias, which sell versions of American prescription drugs made in Mexico.
4 comments - Posted Aug 5, 2008
June 2008
Diabetes treatments are now the leading driver of prescription drug spending growth, displacing lipid-lowering drugs, which tumbled in price after a reign of 10 years in the top position. Generic drugs are cutting the cost of treating high cholesterol.
2 comments - Posted Jun 12, 2008
March 2008
Perhaps more than anyone, people with diabetes know that the motto “Just say no” often doesn’t work.
28 comments - Posted Mar 13, 2008
December 2007
Bayer Diabetes Care has recalled 230,000 bottles of Contour TS test strips after finding that the strips resulted in blood glucose readings 5 to 17 percent higher than actual levels.
0 comments - Posted Dec 29, 2007
November 2007
In July, I flew from New York City to Phoenix to meet my new book agent. (Trust me, I would not have deliberately sought out 100-degree weather without good reason.) Always thinking ahead, I decided to bring along a fancy new bag specially insulated to keep my insulin cool. Alas, either the bag failed me, or I failed the bag.
3 comments - Posted Nov 25, 2007
Los Angeles Times columnist and newly diagnosed type 1 David Lazarus is becoming quite an advocate for people with diabetes.
4 comments - Posted Nov 10, 2007
October 2007
The FDA has spoken: the heart risk warnings on labels of Avandia (rosiglitazone) and Actos (pioglitazone) will now be surrounded by an emphatic black outline known as a black box. Black boxes will also be added to the warnings on Avandaryl (rosiglitazone and glimepiride), Avandamet (rosiglitazone and metformin), and Duetact (pioglitazone and glimepiride).
3 comments - Posted Oct 31, 2007
According to Greek researchers, Actos and Avandia were behind a tripling of the cost of medicines used to treat Athenians with type 2 diabetes over the past eight years.
0 comments - Posted Oct 10, 2007
The September 2007 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has published two new studies, one a meta-analysis of Avandia (rosiglitazone) and the other a meta-analysis of Actos (pioglitazone).
0 comments - Posted Oct 5, 2007
August 2007
Americans spend 275 billion dollars on prescription medicines every single year, sixty percent of it on generics. But in the next five years, the twenty-year patents are going to expire on enough brand-name medicines to account for about 60 billion dollars of that total. And the generics that spring up to replace those drugs will be thirty to eighty percent cheaper.
3 comments - Posted Aug 26, 2007
According to a literature review and survey of 132 Canadian pharmacists, 47 percent of pharmacists have encountered an adverse interaction between a natural health product and a drug.
0 comments - Posted Aug 13, 2007
On December 13, 2005, Keith Scofield visited a Wal-Mart pharmacy in Frederick, Maryland, and ordered over-the-counter Humulin R (u-100). Instead, he was allegedly given Humulin R (u-500), a prescription drug that contains five times the insulin of the requested medication.
3 comments - Posted Aug 7, 2007
On July 30, 2007, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel voted 22 to 1 to keep Avandia on the market, right after agreeing by a vote of 20 to 3 that Avandia does increase heart risks. Now the FDA will decide what kind of warning should appear on the Actos and Avandia labels. It has already called for a black box warning, the sternest possible, on Avandia.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2007
July 2007
In a congressional hearing on June 13, 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed that it has called for a black box warning, the sternest possible, on both Actos and Avandia.
0 comments - Posted Jul 12, 2007
May 2007
Analysis of several recent studies indicates that Avandia (rosiglitazone), a type 2 diabetes medication that's been taken by more than six million people worldwide, is associated with a 43 percent increased risk of heart attack and with a borderline-significant increased risk of heart attack-related death.
0 comments - Posted May 31, 2007
The recent ruckus over the drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) has been portrayed as another case of Big Pharma foisting a dangerous drug on the public while the overworked FDA can't keep up.
0 comments - Posted May 31, 2007
Because of recent changes in airline regulations concerning the transportation of medication, diabetics have more to lose than just their lotion or soda. Now more than ever, it is important to know how to notify security and flight personnel of your medical needs, what documentation to bring, and where to find supplies if yours are damaged.
0 comments - Posted May 21, 2007
April 2007
For people who develop type 1 diabetes, the autoimmune attack on beta cells actually starts up to ten years before diabetes is diagnosed, when autoantibodies first appear in the blood and begin attacking the beta cells.
0 comments - Posted Apr 16, 2007
In 1997, Minnesota became the first of a handful of states to pass a law requiring drug makers to disclose payments made to doctors. Its records reveal that over twenty percent of the state’s physicians have received such payments, generally for giving speeches about drugs to other doctors.
0 comments - Posted Apr 10, 2007
March 2007
Q: Are there any long-term side effects of the popular drugs to treat type 2 diabetes?
2 comments - Posted Mar 24, 2007
Valley Forge, Pa. - Good Neighbor Pharmacy®, a 25 year old network of independently owned pharmacies with over 2,700 locations nationwide, is proud to be the “Official Medical Supply” sponsor of the 2007 Ironman 70.3 California and seven other Ironman events.
0 comments - Posted Mar 20, 2007
July 2006
A long-term study published in a recent issue of the Journal of Palliative Medicine found that Eli Lilly’s non-narcotic prescription drug Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) is as safe and well-tolerated as current routine care that uses one or more medications for the management of pain caused by diabetic nerve damage. Study findings also show that Cymbalta did not adversely affect the progression of diabetes or many of the complications associated with the illness, such as damage to the nerves, kidneys and eyes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2006
May 2006
On February 28, 2006, sanofi-aventis announced that its fast-acting Apidra (insulin glulisine [rDNA origin] injection) is now available by prescription in the United States. Apidra was granted FDA approval in April 2004.
1 comment - Posted May 1, 2006
April 2006
New Zealand researchers say that in clinical trials of people with type 2 diabetes, Actos as stand-alone therapy or in combination with metformin, repaglinide, insulin or a sulphonylurea induced “both long- and short-term improvements in [blood glucose] control and serum lipid profiles.”
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2006
When it’s time to restock your diabetes medications and supplies, have you ever wished that you didn’t have to make that trip to the pharmacy? Wouldn’t you like to avoid the lines, the traffic or parking hassles, and having to find your prescription for the refill?
2 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2006
January 2006
It was the belle of the ball at last summer’s ADA Scientific Sessions in San Diego. Now it appears that muraglitazar (Pargluva) is clinging to life after a scathing report recently published by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2006
Many pump manufacturers have online stores where you can order and pay for your infusion supplies. In addition to manufacturer Web sites, services are offered by Advantage Rx, CCS Medical, Fifty 50 Pharmacy, Focus Pharmacy, Logimedix and National Diabetic Pharmacy. In Canada, supplies can be obtained from AutoControl Medical.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2006
October 2005
Actos (pioglitazone HCl) is an oral agent for type 2 diabetes belonging to the thiazolidinedione (TZD) class of drugs. TZDs help lower insulin resistance, a core dysfunction in people with type 2. They act by helping the body use its available amounts of insulin more effectively. Actos is known as an “insulin sensitizer” because it directly targets insulin resistance, a condition in which the body cannot use the insulin it produces efficiently.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2005
September 2005
Actos, an insulin sensitizer in the glitazone class of type 2 oral diabetes medications, was found to reduce carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) as well as insulin resistance in a German study.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2005
July 2005
“People who are no longer successful on oral agents can now add Byetta [exenatide] instead of insulin,” says Anne Peters, MD, director of the USC Clinical Diabetes Programs.
1 comment - Posted Jul 1, 2005
April 2005
Convenience! No insurance or Medicare claims! No paperwork! These are just some of the reasons that many people with diabetes order their medications and supplies through the mail instead of picking them up at the pharmacy.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2005
November 2004
Susan B. Sloane, BS, Rph,CDE, has been a registered pharmacist for more than 20 years and a certified diabetes educator for 15 years.
2 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2004
October 2004
Always inform your healthcare professional about any and all herbals or supplements that you may be taking.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2004
April 2004
Several years ago, the dot-com phenomenon was making millionaires out of anybody with an idea for selling a product or service online.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2004
April 2003
Walk into any pharmacy and pay close attention to the diabetes display. More than likely, you will find the display fairly close to the pharmacist's counter.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2003
February 2001
Many people with diabetes suspect that the insulin they get by mail sometimes has lost its effectiveness. Now, a study has proven their suspicions are probably true, causing the medical community to question mail-order pharmacies and bring people back to their community pharmacies, where face-to-face treatment delivers to them the best care possible.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2001
December 1999
In the October issue of Drug Topic magazine, the isolation of insulin was ranked as one of the top five events in the pharmacy profession for the 20th century.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1999
One year ago, I was standing in line at a local pharmacy to purchase a prescription drug for my wife. The woman in front of me had given the pharmacist a prescription for a mild agent to help her son sleep. This drug is neither essential nor even clearly effective. As the pharmacist gave the woman the bottle of 30 pills, he asked her for $204.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1999
September 1999
Two new drugs have received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In clinical trials, Avandia (rosiglitazone maleate) and ACTOS (pioglitazone hydrochloride) lowered blood sugars an average of 76 mg/dl and 95 mg/dl respectively, when compared to a placebo.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1999
December 1998
Dori Linnell of Eureka, Montana, would do anything for Tel, her 5-year-old son with diabetes. With diligence, knowledge and love, she has kept his HbA1cs in the nearly perfect range of 6.8 to 7.0 %. Linnell is obviously doing what works but always looking for something that may work better. She read about BetaFast, a product that is said to help people with diabetes control their blood sugars. BetaFast is made from the leaf extract of the herb Gymnema sylvestre, a climbing plant found in India. Always a believer in herbs, she wanted to try it with Tel.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1998
August 1998
Asheville, North Carolina recently saved $25,000 in treating diabetes-related conditions under its self-funded health insurance program. The city owes its savings to a novel pilot project conceived by the North Carolina Center for Pharmaceutical Care in cooperation with Mission St. Joseph's Hospital System and local pharmacies.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1998
September 1997
After years of searching for diabetic skin care treatments, Anastasia Marie Chehak developed a line of products called Diabetic Pure Skin Therapy¨. Chehak wanted to create a skin care system that would provide immediate relief as well as long-term therapeutic use. Chehak is a diabetes educator, registered dietitian, clinical nutritionist and a diabetic herself. In treating patients, she found that the typical over-the-counter skin creams didn't do much to improve the condition of her patients' skin.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1997
August 1994
Your pharmacist and his staff screen a new prescription for errors, then enter the data into the computer. If a problem is noted the pharmacist will contact your physician. The prescription is dispensed to you and a face-to-face counseling session informs you how to take the medicine correctly, what possible side effects or adverse effects to be aware of, and what to do about a missed dose. Some computer programs also print out an information sheet about your prescription.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1994
March 1994
Introduction: It was a long, difficult, and confusing road that lead me to the conclusion that as a person with diabetes (type I for 45 years), I should take vitamin, mineral, and trace element (micronutrient) supplements daily. My educational background, like that of most other health care providers, did not include much clinical information about the need for micronutrients. Most of the information presented concerned biochemical effects (the effects of vitamins on the chemical reactions of cells) or deficiency states due to an unbalanced diet. I can remember my professor summarizing vitamin use by saying "the vast majority of people in the United States don't need to take daily vitamin supplements, as long as they consume well-balanced and nutritious meals each day." He also emphasized the lack of long-term clinical studies about micronutrient supplementation. My professor categorized the people who probably needed supplements as: children during growth stages, pregnant and lactating women, elderly patients, individuals with specific vitamin deficiencies, patients with chronic conditions, alcoholics, individuals under stress, and those who did not follow a well-balanced diet. I added up all the people in these categories and realized that a relatively high percentage of the total US population might need daily supplements.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1994