Category Archives: Pharmacy

19-06-2012 15:09 Kazeem highlights the results of the National Pharmacy Board Election in England, Scotland and Wales in 2012. A well conducted campaign which resulted in the election of very strong candidates. In England we elected a candidate who promised to give 100%, one who believes in a strong, proud and independent profession, one who is passionate about pharmacy and role of pharmacists, one who believes in one profession which provides valuable service to patients, one who recognises that England needs a strong voice, one who glows with pride everyday she wears her pharmacy hat, one who wants to see seamless pharmaceutical care between hospital and community, one who has demonstrated his ability to influence government, one who will fight to have your voice heard, one who sees a vision of a leading healthcare organisation, one who want to meet the needs of its members, one who want to increase the wider awareness of the profession and finally one with excellent national and international networks. With these candidates on board, Kazeem is hopeful for the future of pharmacy in the UK. Read more: National Pharmacy Board Election 2012 - Video … Continue reading →

Tessa Wiley knew when she graduated high school that she wanted to go to pharmacy school. She looked at other colleges, but the University of Central Arkansas had a pre-pharmacy program that offers students faculty advisors and rigourous courses. Whenever I came to UCA, there was actually somebody there who knew about pre-pharmacy, Wiley said. They were so knowledgeable about all of it. It just blew me away. Last year, UCA led other Arkansas universities in the number of students accepted at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy, according to UAMS records. The local university beat out bigger schools including the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville by sending 34 students to UAMS. The states flagship university in Fayetteville had 24 students accepted, followed by 11 from Arkansas State University. This August, after just three years at UCA, Wiley will start school at the pharmacy college at UAMS. She is already packing up and moving from Alma to Little Rock, she said. Wiley is among 24 students who applied to the pharmacy college this year, but no numbers are yet available for how many UCA students got into the school, said Stephanie Gardner, dean of the pharmacy … Continue reading →

As the legend goes, when Kris Thorkelson was studying pharmacy at the University of Manitoba, his dean loaned him $250 to pay the fee for his provincial exam. Today, Thorkelson is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has named him in an investigation into an international wholesale drug distribution network that has allegedly sold counterfeit cancer drugs to American oncologists. Thorkelson and several other graduates in the class of '91 have become the pioneers of Manitoba's lucrative internet pharmacy industry. Thorkelson and fellow classmate Daren Jorgenson were partners right out of university, scraping together $7,500 each to buy a pharmacy in Winnipeg's North End. "I would describe him as a nice person, quiet, not flashy what most people would think of a pharmacist in terms of personality," Jorgenson said. "Family is important to him. I never got the impression money was important to Kris, but success in business was." By 1994, though, they went their separate ways, creating new companies that sold prescription drugs to people mostly Americans online. Jorgenson eventually left the online pharmacy business, but Thorkelson was quietly buying up smaller companies. "Kris became the biggest. He is … Continue reading →

Walgreen Co. has agreed to buy a 45% stake in Alliance Boots, a European retail pharmacy chain, for $6.7 billion in a cash and stock transaction that will create the world's largest drugstore chain with more than 11,000 stores in 12 countries. The deal, which represents the Deerfield, Ill., company's first international expansion, is expected to close Sept. 1 and includes an option for Walgreen to take full control of Alliance Boots three years after the deal closes. Walgreen will pay the European pharmacy and beauty retailer $4 billion in cash and $2.7 billion in company stock. Walgreen Chief Executive Greg Wasson said in a conference call that the company intends to buy the remainder of Alliance Boots within three years. The total takeover is expected to cost $9.5 billion in a combination of cash and stock. He said the deal would create "immediate synergies" that would enable Walgreen to save as much as $150 million in the first year after the deal closes and as much as $1 billion by the end of 2016. Under terms of the transaction, Alliance Boots' executive chairman, Stefano Pessina, and Dominic Murphy of the investment firm KKR & Co. will join the Walgreen … Continue reading →

MUSKEGON, MI CVS Caremark Corp. is entering the Muskegon-area retail pharmacy market with its first outlet at 2012 Apple in Muskegon Township. Accurate Excavating of Muskegon began groundwork late last week for the 13,205-square-foot pharmacy retail store at the corner of Quarterline Road and Apple Avenue, which is M-46. Muskegon Township officials did not know when the CVS Pharmacy will open and CVS officials were not available for comment. CVSs entry into Muskegon is significant in two ways. First, Muskegon will now have competition among the retail pharmacy sectors Big Three: Walgreens, Rite Aid and now CVS. Other major pharmacy players in Muskegon and across the country are the discount superstores, Walmart, Meijer and Kmart and locally Mercy Health has a series of pharmacies. Second, the arrival of CVS in Muskegon is another indicator that the ice might be breaking from the commercial real estate sector since the 2008 beginning of the Great Recession. The recession began to ease in Muskegon two years ago in the industrial sector but now there have been more local signs of life in the retail and service sectors as well. The Quarterline and Apple site was planned as a pharmacy outlet two and a … Continue reading →

CORAL GABLES, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TransactRx, the nations leading provider of vaccine billing solutions, today announced the launch of TransactRx Immunization Plus, a complete solution for pharmacies to submit electronic medical claims for flu, pneumonia and all other adult and pediatric vaccinations using their current pharmacy systems and workflows. This new service enables pharmacies to bill Medicare, Medicaid and commercial payers by sending standard pharmacy claims to the TransactRx Cross-Benefit Clearinghouse which in real time converts the claims to standard medical claim formats and performs a number of validation steps to insure their highest reimbursement rate. In addition the solution includes participation in the TransactRx National Immunization Network, a provider network contracted with Medicare and commercial payers. This new solution leverages the technology and provider contracting of our very successful Part D Vaccine Manager service used by thousands of physician offices that has enabled efficient pharmacy billing for adult vaccines administered to over 500,000 patients, said Jack Guinan, CEO. Our initial focus is to work with community and small chain pharmacies and their trade associations to provide a complete solution for them to operate a competitive and profitable adult vaccination program this upcoming flu season. Pharmacies can use any pharmacy management … Continue reading →

MUNDELEIN, Ill., June 18, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medline Industries, Inc. announced today that the Minnesota Multistate Contracting Alliance for Pharmacy (MMCAP), a group purchasing organization for government facilities, awarded Medline with a new national medical-surgical products distribution agreement. In the two year agreement, effective June 1, Medline will provide significant savings to MMCAP's membership of nearly 5,000 facilities, including state, county and municipal hospitals, long-term care and other health care facilities, as well as schools, correctional facilities, and non-profit organizations. The current MMCAP contract generates approximately $60 million in annual sales volume and has potential to increase substantially during the term of the new contract award. Medline will distribute both national branded products as well as its broad array of Medline brand medical and surgical products, to the health care facilities from its 34 distribution centers throughout the country. About MMCAP The Minnesota Multistate Contracting Alliance for Pharmacy (MMCAP) is a free, voluntary group purchasing organization for government facilities that provide healthcare services. MMCAP has been delivering pharmacy and healthcare value to members since 1985. MMCAP's membership extends across nearly every state in the nation, delivering volume buying power. Members receive access to a full range of pharmaceuticals and … Continue reading →

LISLE, IL, June 18, 2012 /CNW/ - SXC Health Solutions Corp. (SXCI) (SXC.TO), announced today that it has been awarded Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation from URAC, a Washington, DC-based health care accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry. Specialty Pharmacy offers a high touch, comprehensive care system of pharmacological care wherein patients with chronic illnesses and complex disease states receive expert therapy management and support tailored to their individual needs. "SXC's robust specialty sector is a powerful contender in the PBM industry," said Mark Thierer, Chairman and CEO of SXC. "Our URAC accreditation is recognition of the quality and broad scope of our specialty pharmacy commitments. We look forward to continuing to provide unbeatable service and committed support to our clients." URAC made the decision to develop a Specialty Pharmacy accreditation program because it is one of the key distribution channels for pharmacy benefit management and extends URAC's consumer protection and empowerment efforts in managed care pharmacy. URAC offers the only third-party, voluntary accreditation program of this scope for pharmacy benefit management and prescription services industry. "By applying for and receiving Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation, SXC Health Solutions has demonstrated a commitment to quality health care," said Alan … Continue reading →

Q: My husband has a very low sex drive and little or no desire for any physical contact. In contrast, I have an extremely high sex drive, and touch is important to me. It is killing me to not have these needs fulfilled. I have tried to ignore this problem. I can do so for a time, but then I get a flood of emotions that I can barely control: hurt, anger, depression, lack of motivation and self-destructive thoughts. Is there something I can do to kill my libido? He refuses to go to counseling. A: If your husband realized how much his lack of interest is damaging your relationship, he might be motivated to talk to his physician. Low testosterone levels could be contributing to his missing sex drive. There are drugs that can dampen desire, including many antidepressant medications. They all have other side effects, but since you are feeling depressed and self-destructive, your doctor might feel that one is appropriate. Such medication is not a panacea for relationship difficulties, however. A new book by clinical psychologist Harriet Lerner, Ph.D., also might help you figure out how to talk with him about this intimate topic. The title is … Continue reading →

9:05 AM By BEN MCCANNA Morning Sentinel FAIRFIELD -- A suspect wanted in connection with three pharmacy robberies was caught Friday after an intensive manhunt and a high-speed motorcycle chase ended in a crash. click image to enlarge Shawn Michael Merrill click image to enlarge Police officers stand in the parking lot next to the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments building in Fairfield after the Rite Aid on Main Street was robbed Friday. Staff photo by Ben McCanna Shawn Michael Merrill, 26, a transient, was arrested in Chelsea by Maine State Police about 3:20 p.m., just three hours after he allegedly robbed Rite Aid on Main Street. Merrill is also suspected of two back-to-back robberies on Tuesday -- the Walmart pharmacy in Waterville and Goggins IGA in Randolph. The manhunt began at 1 p.m. Friday, shortly after Merrill allegedly approached a pharmacy clerk with a note demanding drugs. He also lifted his shirt and displayed a handgun tucked into his waistband, Fairfield Police Chief John Emery said. Read more: Chase ends with arrest of pharmacy hold-up suspect … Continue reading →