Drug Formulary Review Archives – February 1, 2004
February 1, 2004
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Computer prompt promotes switch from intravenous to oral medications
Researchers from Harvard Medical Schools teaching hospital in Boston decided to test if they could encourage physicians to switch appropriate patients from intravenous (IV) to oral (PO) medications. -
Pharmacist interventions increase dramatically with new technology
Integrating new automated dispensing technology with an already established computerized physician order-entry system (CPOE) has changed the way pharmacists work at El Camino Hospital, a community facility in Mountain View, CA. Freed from most dispensing duties, pharmacists now spend much of their time reviewing patient information before drugs are dispensed. -
Abbott stands firm in ritonavir price increase
Abbott Laboratories is not backing down from its decision to increase the price of ritonavir (Norvir) by 500% monthly for patients who take 100 mg a day. Ritonavir is used in almost all protease inhibitor combinations for treating HIV infection. -
Combination drug therapy prevents BPH progression
A combination of drugs is significantly more effective than either drug alone for preventing progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), especially in high-risk men, according to a study appearing in the Dec. 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. -
News Briefs
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has announced an interim final regulation for the Medicare Prescription Drug Discount Card Program. -
In The Pipeline
ViaCell will begin to enroll patients in a Phase I/II clinical trial of CB001, a highly purified population of stem cells that has been isolated from umbilical cord blood and multiplied using the companys patented Selective Amplification technology. -
New FDA Appovals
Regular approval for another indication of imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. The FDA has granted imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) regular approval -
Drug Criteria & Outcomes - Alefacept (Amevive) Formulary Review
Alefacept (Amevive), produced by Biogen, represents a new drug class for patients with chronic plaque psoriasis. The drug was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Jan. 31, 2003, and became available on Feb. 3, 2003.