RxMike

Ellen Visits the Pharmacy

// January 29th, 2009 // Comments Off // Funny

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YzWzb8gpCY&hl=en&fs=1]

Certification News

// January 28th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Legislative, Pharmacy Regulations, Pharmacy Technician

PTCB has announced that beginning April 1, 2009, the PTCB Examination will be available in continuous testing format at Pearson Professional Centers nationwide. PTCB also announced that exam candidates will receive an official pass or fail result at the test center after the completion of the exam, effective immediately.

ICPT’s ExCPT certification exam has been added to the list of recognized certification exams for pharmacy technicians in the state of Nevada.

FDA Approves Journal Articles for Off-Label Use

// January 27th, 2009 // Comments Off // Pharmacy General

Drug company reps can distribute — but not discuss — reprints of journal articles on off-label uses for drugs, according to an FDA guidance posted today.

The guidance, though sure to irk industry critics, comes with numerous conditions. Reps can distribute articles or texts to doctors, but they must be separated from promotional materials and “should not be the subject of discussion between the sales representative and the physician during the sales visit.” Reprints can be distributed at medical or scientific conferences “in settings appropriate for scientific exchange,” but not “in promotional exhibit halls or during promotional speakers’ programs.”

The agency said articles distributed should be from peer-reviewed journals and must not be false or misleading. Bespoke articles published primarily for distribution by the manufacturer are off-limits, as are letters to the editor, abstracts, reports of Phase 1 trials in healthy subjects or reference publications that contain little or no substantive discussion. [MMM]

GSK to Cutback on DTC TV Ads

// January 26th, 2009 // Comments Off // Pharmacy General

GlaxoSmithKline will ratchet down its DTC TV advertising in light of ongoing controversy around the medium, according to statements made by CEO Andrew Witty in The Wall Street Journal.

Without getting into specifics, Witty told the paper that the company would do less TV advertising in 2009 than it has in the past. He also noted that consumer advertising does help educate viewers on diseases and treatment options.

Witty’s decision to cut back on DTC TV spots comes as drug companies anticipate an increasingly stringent atmosphere for consumer advertising in Washington, as well as a dearth of new blockbuster drugs and a plague of patent expirations on old ones. GSK spent 23% less on consumer advertising during the first half of 2008, The Wall Street Journal reported — due in large measure to a freeze on advertising of diabetes drug Avandia. [MMM]

Recession Hits Pharmacy Publishing

// January 23rd, 2009 // Comments Off // Pharmacy General

The effects of a sinking US economy have recently spread to the pharmacy publishing industry. Pharmacy & Healthcare Communications, LLC (publisher of Pharmacy Times, et al) recently eliminated the position of publisher at each of their publications. Advanstar Communications (publisher of Drug Topics, et al) eliminated all publication-specific editorial/publishing positions….opting to bring them all under one “centralized roof.” This translates to have an Editor-at-Large without a specific background in pharmacy.

I wonder what impact these changes will have on the quality/content of 2 of the 3 main pharmacy magazines.

7 Sins of Patient Satisfaction

// January 22nd, 2009 // Comments Off // Pharmacy General

Drug Store News has identified seven opportunities to improve customer satisfaction among pharmacy patients – referred to as the Seven Sins of Patient Satisfaction. Check it out here.

Insight from a Historic Day

// January 20th, 2009 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

Today, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. While the fact that Obama is the first African-American to be elected President is much more than a footnote, I believe their is a larger insight from this historic day.

Regardless of your political persuasion, Obama’s optimistic leadership style can not be denied. I have long held the belief that there are two types of leaders – those who focus on the positive and those who focus on the negative; those who are effective and create true legacies and those who are ineffective (respectively). Negative leaders may be able to create a buzz or following, but their impact will always prove to be short-lived. Only time will tell if Obama will govern with a positive leadership style or if it was simply campaign trail antics…

What legacy do you wish to create?

Judd to be Spokesperson for Alli

// January 15th, 2009 // Comments Off // Pharmacy General

GlaxoSmithKline has signed country singer Wynonna Judd to serve as the face of its OTC weight loss drug Alli.

Judd appears in TV and print ads launching this month, and the story of her battle with weight features in a section of the brand’s website at myalli.com, where fans can download desktop wallpaper or recipes and enter to win a trip for two to Nashville for a private concert with her.

In the TV ad, Judd says Alli has given her more “balance” and extra energy with her kids. She addresses the typically modest weight loss benefits of the drug, saying: “It’s not so much about the pounds for me – I’m so much more than a number on a scale.” And she hammers home the drug’s safety, saying: “Absolutely the most important reason I chose Alli was because it’s FDA approved. I can’t sit here and tell other people to take something that’s not safe.” (Source:MMM)

Tech Charged in Medication Theft

// January 14th, 2009 // Comments Off // Pharmacy General, Pharmacy Technician

The Salem News reports that a pharmacy technician at the Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital has been arrested after police found three bags containing dozens of types of medication in a car outside the hospital Sunday evening.

Wanda Lopez, 24, of 157 Maple St., Danvers, was seen by hospital staff bringing several bags out of the hospital, according to police, who were called by hospital security shortly after 7 p.m. Police found more than 61 different types of medications, from aspirin to Zyprexa, a prescription anti-psychotic, in three bags inside a car registered to her father-in-law, who gave permission for police to search the vehicle. Police do not know what Lopez intended to do with the large amount of medication, said Salem police Lt. Conrad Prosniewski.

Read the full story go to http://tinyurl.com/axkz6z

Learning from Our Mistakes

// January 13th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Allied Health Education, Pharmacy General, Pharmacy Technician

On January 6, 2009 I posted an entry “Funny Pharmacy Video Spoof – Pharmacy Man” and erroneously credited the song Piano Man to Elton John….whereas it was actually a song by Billy Joel.

Several days later, a reader, Mike Stegeman, sent me an email bringing this mistake to my attention. I have since corrected the post, but kept my original mistake posted (just crossed through Elton John’s name). There is a greater lesson to be learned by us all from this occurrence.

While this mistake was not life-endangering, as are many medication errors, it is natural to want to fix our mistakes and try to move forward without bringing any extra attention to them. In healthcare, however, I believe that when mistakes are made we must not only correct them, but they should be discussed openly in an effort to prevent similar mistakes from happening in the future. We can not learn from mistakes that are hidden or covered up, so let’s admit to our errors, correct them as soon as possible, and then be open about our mistakes so that others can learn. Providing proper credit to Billy Joel is important, but discussing errors made in healthcare settings (no matter how insignificant they may seem) could help prevent future medication errors from happening.

My apologies to Mr. Joel and thanks to Mr. Stegeman.