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Issue:  June 2010 •  Archive  •  Subscribe •  Unsubscribe
In This Edition Featured Article Featured CE
•  Editor's Notebook
•  Counseling Pearls
•  It's the Law
•  Clinical Corner
•  Consult Your Pharmacist
•  Educational Spotlight
•  Quick Poll
     — Generics
  Photo Management of Cushing's Syndrome
Although expensive, diagnostic testing is necessary for effective treatment of this rare but potentially serious condition.
  Photo Hyperthyroidism: Exploring Treatment Strategies
It is important for pharmacists to understand and be able to educate patients about this endocrine disorder and the methods used to treat it.

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Editor's Notebook
The New Breed of Pharmacy Graduates

The new generation of pharmacists is likely to take a more active role in patients' health care.
Counseling Pearls
Photo Diabetic Foot Ulcer Assessment and Treatment: A Pharmacist's Guide

This type of diabetes-associated wound can cause substantial morbidity and increased mortality. Counseling, infection control, and treatment, all of which pharmacists are trained to perform, are of paramount importance.
Photo Subclinical Hypothyroidism

This condition is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction in elderly women. Thyroid disorders are hard to diagnose and often are overlooked in seniors.
It's the Law
Health Care Reform Legislation: Part II—Opportunities

Coverage of this important topic continues as we explore how benefits can be achieved if pharmacy takes advantage of the opportunities that the reforms embody.
 
Clinical Corner
Photo Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Adolescents

Lack of a uniform definition for this condition in pediatric patients makes it challenging to initiate screening measures and develop treatment protocols. Prevalence is much lower in children than in adults.
Photo Male Hypogonadism: A Review of the Disease and Its Treatment

Longer life expectancy and the higher prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes may explain the trend toward an increased incidence of this disorder. The nonspecific clinical presentation of the disease causes it to frequently go undiagnosed.
 
Consult Your Pharmacist
Challenges When Recommending Nonprescription Products for Patients With Diabetes

Pharmacists must know which products carry warnings against usage by individuals with diabetes and be able to counsel patients about which products are safe.
Educational Spotlight
Optimizing Disease Control to Manage RA-Associated Pain in Adults

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis benefit greatly from coordinated, collaborative care that includes therapies designed to provide optimal pain control.
New Options for Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes

Incretin-based therapies such as GLP-1 agonists represent significant advances in the treatment and management of this condition.
 

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Newswire
FDA Warns Consumers About Fake Tamiflu
Rockville, MD — The FDA is warning consumers that a fake version of Tamiflu being sold on the Internet could cause adverse reactions in some people. The phony product is being sold as "generic Tamiflu," even though the FDA has not approved a generic version of the drug. FDA investigators purchased the fraudulent Tamiflu on the Internet without a prescription. The product label claimed that the capsules contained 75 mg of oseltamivir phosphate, the active ingredient in Tamiflu. Laboratory testing, however, revealed that the product contained not oseltamivir, but rather cloxacillin, which could cause a life-threatening reaction in individuals allergic to penicillin. As of yet, the FDA has not received any reports of adverse reactions. Officials advise consumers to buy online medications only through licensed Internet pharmacies.
Walgreens to Continue Participating in CVS Caremark PBM
Woonsocket, RI, and Deerfield, IL — Under a mutual, multiyear agreement, CVS Caremark Corporation and Walgreens announced that Walgreens will continue to participate in the CVS Caremark pharmacy benefit management (PBM) national retail network for new, existing, or renewal plans. The financial terms have not been disclosed. According to the companies, the plan makes good business sense and will allow them to continue to meet their customers' needs nationwide. Customers will be assured convenience and access to affordable high-quality pharmacy health care without disruption of service.
Probiotic Therapy Reduces Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Some ICU Patients
Omaha, NE — New research from Creighton University School of Medicine found that daily use of probiotics significantly reduced the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in selected ICU patients. VAP is estimated to complicate the care of up to 30% of critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation. "We chose to study probiotics in this context because VAP is increasingly caused by pathogens associated with antimicrobial resistance and the supply of novel antibiotics is essentially nonexistent for the foreseeable future," according to lead researcher Lee E. Morrow, MD. After 5 years of study in carefully selected patients, daily probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus) use decreased VAP infections by about half and reduced the amount of antibiotics needed. "Lactobacillus may represent a novel, inexpensive..., and non-antibiotic approach to prevention of nosocomial infections in properly selected ICU patients," said Dr. Morrow.