Retail Clinics

SAN DIEGO Improving medication adherence will require bringing multiple methods together in order to be successful, Pharmacy Quality Alliance senior director for research and performance measurement David Nau said Tuesday in an education session at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ Pharmacy and Technology Conference in San Diego.

“You need to have a multifaceted strategy around adherence if you want to have an impact on adherence,” Nau said.

SILVER SPRING, Md. The Food and Drug Administration last week issued an information packet in preparation for a Sept. 14 advisory committee meeting that will address the potential abuse of dextromethorphan products and whether restrictions should be placed on the sale of those over-the-counter cough medicines.

Members of both the FDA Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee and the FDA Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee will be in attendance at the public meeting.

IRVINE, Calif. Allergan's optimized reformulation of Lumigan has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration, the drug maker said Wednesday.

Lumigan 0.01% (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) is a first-line therapy indicated for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, Allergan said. Lumigan 0.01% will be available in fourth quarter 2010 as the newest addition to Allergan’s comprehensive glaucoma portfolio.

NEW YORK Despite concerns that this year's flu vaccine production will be affected by the recent salmonella outbreak, a Food and Drug Administration official and a drug maker advised that is not the case, according to published reports.

Although chicken eggs, which were said to be the source of this summer's salmonella outbreak, are used to make the flu vaccine, an FDA spokeswoman said that chicken eggs used in creating the flu vaccine are fertilized, unlike those used for consumption.

WASHINGTON The American Academy of Pediatrics released a policy statement regarding its recommendations for routine use of trivalent seasonal influenza vaccines and antiviral medications for the prevention and treatment of influenza in children.

BOSTON A new study conducted by investigators at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital suggested that the dietary supplement S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) can be an effective, relatively well-tolerated, adjunctive treatment for adults with major depressive disorders who do not respond to their treatment with antidepressant medication, Pharmavite announced Tuesday.

SAN DIEGO Comparing the situation with a hypothetical B-movie about a whale eating New York, Harvard University economics professor David Cutler showed a chart describing the fiscal collision course the United States could be on if it doesn’t successfully tackle healthcare costs.

SILVER SPRING, Md. The Food and Drug Administration has posted a new list of drugs from its Adverse Event Reporting System, designed to address potential signals of serious risks and new safety information about drugs on the market.