On February 14, 2014 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug treatment for patients with mucopolysaccharidosis Type IVA, also known as Murquio A Syndrome. The new medication goes by the trade name Vimizim (chemical name elosulfase alfa), and it is marketed in the U.S. by Biomarin, Inc. Murquio A Syndrome is a […]
On February 12, 2014 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new indication for Imbruvica (chemical name ibrutinib). The drug is now approved to treat patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Imbruvica was initially approved by the FDA on November 13, 2013 with an indication to treat mantle cell leukemia (MCL), a rare and […]
On December 6, 2013 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new pill to treat patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. It is the first antiviral product that has shown safety and efficacy to treat certain types of HCV infection (specifically Genotype 2 and Genotype 3) without the need for concomitant treatment […]
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is offering three free tools for pharmacists to use in monitoring and promoting drug safety. The three tools include consumer leaflets for high alert medications, High-Alert Medication Modeling and Error-Reduction Scorecards (HAMMERS), and a system to assess barcode verification system readiness in community pharmacies. High-Alert Medications Consumer Leaflets […]