Drug Formulary Review Archives – May 1, 2007
May 1, 2007
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ADEs: Looking for predictability in a panoply of circumstances
In research looking at variables that could contribute to an increased risk of sustaining an adverse drug event (ADE) certain age groups, diagnoses, admission sources, types of insurance, and use of specific medications or medication classes were all associated with increased adverse event rates at a medical center. -
California gives pharm techs more responsibility
Specially trained pharmacy technicians in California may soon be employed in general acute care hospitals to check medication cassettes and the work of other technicians, thus freeing pharmacists to expand their patient care role. A regulation allowing the change took effect January 5, 2007. -
Pharmacists can be key members of hospice teams
Hospice-based clinical pharmacists can influence patient outcomes positively by identifying drug-related problems and recommending appropriate drug therapy, according to research conducted by two University of Maryland School of Pharmacy pharmacists who worked with three Maryland hospices. -
ACCP promotes new vision of widespread certification
The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) is working to bring to reality its vision that in 20 to 30 years, most clinical pharmacy practitioners will be board-certified specialists. A White Paper released late in 2006 developed a rationale for the vision, described specialty board certification in pharmacy, and made recommendations for attaining the vision. -
New tool can assess drug interaction factors
Clinicians, authors, and medical journals are able to use a newly developed Drug Interaction Probability Scale (DIPS) to objectively assess causality in drug interaction cases. The scale was developed by recognized drug interaction experts John Horn, Pharm.D., Philip Hansten, Pharm.D., and Lingtak-Neander Chan, Pharm.D., of the University of Washington, and was published in the April 2007 issue of The Annals of Pharmacotherapy. -
News Briefs: Many revisions in drug information compendium
The 2007 edition of the AHFS Drug Information compendium published by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists contains 28 new monographs and thousands of revisions, including updates of major cautionary information from FDA's MedWatch and important new clinical guidelines. -
Drug Criteria & Outcomes: Antibiotic Agents: A drought in discovery
In the past decade, there has been a marked decline in research aimed at developing novel antibiotic agents, but a noticeable increase has occurred in the resistance of bacteria to current agents. -
Drug Criteria & Outcomes: Telbivudine Formulary Evaluation
This is the conclusion of a two-part formulary evaluation of telbivudine. It is being compared with entecavir, a newer drug for similar use.