Trumm Drug

March 2010 Drug News

• Aetna 2010 Medicare Members To Have Access to MTM Services

Aetna will give medication therapy management (MTM) access to members who enroll in its 2010 Medicare plans. The enhanced services are aimed at helping members safely and effectively take medications prescribed by their physician. MTM services will be available to Aetna members in both standalone 2010 Medicare Part D Pharmacy benefits plans and comprehensive Medicare Advantage medical benefits plans that include prescription drug coverage. Aetna Press Release

• New FDA Warning on Asthma Drugs

Drugs in the class of long-acting beta agonists should never be used alone in the treatment of asthma in children or adults, according to the Food and Drug Administration. “Manufacturers will be required to include this warning in the product labels of these drugs, along with taking other steps to reduce the overall use of these medications,” the FDA said last week.

“These new requirements are based on FDA analyses of clinical trials showing that use of these long-acting medicines is associated with an increased risk of severe worsening of asthma symptoms, leading to hospitalization in both children and adults and death in some patients with asthma. The drugs involved include the single agent products Serevent and Foradil and combination medications Advair and Symbicort that also contain inhaled corticosteroids.”

• FDA Warns About Potential For Maalox Product Mix-Ups

FDA warned about the potential for serious side effects in people who take Maalox Total Relief in the belief that it contains the same ingredients as Maalox antacid products. The two products have different uses and are not interchangeable, according to the agency. Novartis Consumer Health, which makes the products, plans to change the name of Maalox Total Relief to one that does not have Maalox in its title and will also conduct an educational outreach program. FDA Press Release

• Researchers Study Effectiveness Of Vitamin D

Vitamin D has been linked to building bones, strengthening the immune system and lowering the risks of illnesses like diabetes, heart and kidney disease, high blood pressure and cancer. As a result, doctors are increasingly testing their patients’ vitamin D levels and prescribing daily supplements to raise them. However, though studies have been promising, there are scant data from clinical trials and little is known about what the ideal level of vitamin D really is, whether raising it can improve health and what potential side effects are caused by high doses. The New York Times on the Web

• Health Mart at the Grammy Awards, Super Bowl, Winter Olympic Games and Academy Awards
  Health Mart has unleashed a TV advertising blitz for its Health Mart independent pharmacy network that will include multiple spots during the Super Bowl on Feb. 7. The five-week campaign on 11 networks in 77 media markets kicked off Jan. 31 during the Grammy Awards. Using real pharmacists to highlight the personal patient care and services offered across the country, the 15- and 30-second black-and-white commercials also will appear during the Winter Olympic Games and will conclude during the Academy Awards telecast March 7.

“Health Mart is a national network of more than 2,500 locally owned pharmacies offering the special care and service you can only get from a member of your community,” says Health Mart President Tim Canning. “This new advertising campaign highlights the emotional connection our pharmacists have with their customers, and it showcases that devotion to a national audience, while spotlighting the fact that Health Mart Pharmacies are practically everywhere.”

Last week, Health Mart announced that it had signed up its 2,500th independent pharmacy. The company said it has experienced an 850% growth in its franchise network in the past four years.

• Most Web Rx Sellers Rogue: NABP

Some 5,000 Web sites are selling prescription drugs outside of pharmacy laws and practice standards, according to a survey by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Those sites comprised 96% of those reviewed. Of those sites on its “Not Recommended” list, said NABP:
More than 75% (4,029) dispense drugs without a valid prescription.
More than half (2,762) accept a brief online questionnaire in place of a prescription.
Nearly 25% (1,327) post a physical address located outside the U.S.
Nearly half (2,436) do not provide any physical address.
Nearly half (2,216) offer foreign or unapproved drugs.
Nearly 20% (956) do not have secure sites that protect patients’ personal and financial information.

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