On March 27, 2013 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced approval of a new drug to treat multiple sclerosis. The drug, Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) is approved for use in adult patients relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). Tecfidera will be launched in 120 mg and 240 mg delayed release capsule formulations. While the exact mechanism of […]
On March 22, 2013 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced approval of a new drug to treat a lung infection common in patients with cystic fibrosis. The drug, Tobi Podhaler (tobramycin inhalation powder) is approved for use in cystic fibrosis patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa is a bacterium that causes lung infections, which […]
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 […]
On March 12, 2013 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a drug safety warning about the popular oral antibiotic azithromycin, which goes by the trade names Zithromax or Zmax. The FDA warned that azithromycin can cause abnormal changes in the electrical activity of the heart that may lead to a potentially fatal irregular […]