Walmart filed a preemptive lawsuit against the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in what it says is an attempt to thwart an incoming suit for failing to thwart otherwise valid opioid prescriptions. The suit…

NCPA releases 2020 Digest Report Wed, 10/21/2020 – 20:00 cbaker_admin Thu, 10/22/2020 – 18:30 At its yearly convention, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) unveiled the 2020 NCPA Digest, sponsored by Cardinal Health. The digest estimated that independent community pharmacies…

COVID-19 vaccines to be stored secretly under tight security Wed, 10/21/2020 – 20:00 cbaker_admin Thu, 10/22/2020 – 18:30 COVID-19 vaccine stakeholders—including health officials, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies—are taking numerous steps to safeguard the anticipated vaccine doses, such as designating secure,…

Effect of vericiguat vs. placebo on quality of life in patients with HFpEF Wed, 10/21/2020 – 20:00 cbaker_admin Thu, 10/22/2020 – 18:30 Researchers probed whether treatment with vericiguat increases the physical limitation score (PLS) of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire…

Novartis to pursue SMA drug branaplam in Huntington’s disease Wed, 10/21/2020 – 20:00 cbaker_admin Thu, 10/22/2020 – 18:30 Novartis is looking to repurpose its investigational oral spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) drug branaplam to treat Huntington’s disease. Novartis has been studying…

New results from a once-promising therapy show the difficulty of treating COVID-19 Wed, 10/21/2020 – 20:00 cbaker_admin Thu, 10/22/2020 – 18:30 Hopes for tocilizumab as a treatment for COVID-19 suffered a blow this week, as three new studies reported inconsistent…

CDC expands definition of ‘close contacts,’ after study suggests COVID-19 can be passed in brief interactions Wed, 10/21/2020 – 20:00 cbaker_admin Thu, 10/22/2020 – 18:30 CDC on Wednesday revised how it defines “close contact” in relation to how people can…

Purdue Pharma reaches $8.34 billion settlement over opioid probes Wed, 10/21/2020 – 20:00 cbaker_admin Thu, 10/22/2020 – 18:30 The Justice Department announced Wednesday that Purdue Pharma has agreed to plead guilty to three felonies related to its marketing and distribution…

CDER launches quality management maturity pilots for APIs and finished dosage forms Wed, 10/21/2020 – 20:00 cbaker_admin Thu, 10/22/2020 – 18:30 FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research has launched two new pilot programs related to manufacturing quality management. One…

HHS takes action to further expand access to vaccines, COVID-19 tests Wed, 10/21/2020 – 20:00 cbaker_admin Thu, 10/22/2020 – 18:30 New HHS guidance, issued under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act), authorizes qualified pharmacy technicians and state-authorized…