Category Archives: Pharmacy

By Karen Evans Last updated at 12:47, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 A pharmacy which will take over Mills Papershop in the Moorclose shopping precinct in Workington will only service drug users from that area with a methadone service, its owners have said. Saeed Ltd Chemist chain, which will transform the papershop on Westfield Drive, reassured residents at a Neighbourhood Forum meeting last night that drug users would be supervised when taking their prescription on site. Zubair Malik, partner of the chain, said that they would be taken into a private consultation area within the chemist to take their medication. He added that any trouble would be reported to the NHS where users medication would be stopped or they would be asked to attend another pharmacy to take their medication. In June residents raised concerns that the service would lead to drug users congregating outside and causing a nuisance when they came to collect their medication. Mr Malik said: I will treat those patients with the same level of respect as I treat all my patients. I want to help those people and to help them move forward with their lives and offering this service will help them do this. The … Continue reading →

The anticipated other shoe dropped this week when Big Y Foods announced it will be closing its pharmacy at 2 Bank St. in New Milford and consolidating its services at the Big Y store across the Housatonic River. That move will mark the end of an era for downtown New Milford and will herald a new era of opportunity for the downtown business community. When Big Y bought the pharmacy -- then called the New Milford Pharmacy -- from the Salisbury Pharmacy Group a year and a half ago, many residents and town officials predicted it wouldn't be long before Big Y consolidated its two stores. They were right. And when local businessman Gary Goldring bought the building last month, the handwriting was on the wall for Big Y's imminent departure from the Village Green. The move, scheduled for August, will leave the village center without a pharmacy for the first time in memory. For decades, two mom-and-pop stores -- the Slone Pharmacy at the head of Bank Street and Lautier's Pharmacy at the foot of the street served the community. And after Lautier's closed, CVS provided a second pharmacy in the heart of the village center until it moved … Continue reading →

Professor Kevin Garey of the UH College of Pharmacy was awarded an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists fellowship this summer during the ASHP Summer Meeting and exhibition June 12. ASHP fellows are recognized as those who have made significant contributions to scientific literature, research and education. It just shows that youve done a lot of important work for this large organization, for ASHP, Garey said. Its a nice thing for me personally and then a great thing for the University of Houston and then Houston in general. ASHP is a professional organization that represents pharmacists who work in hospitals and health systems. With 40,000 members, ASHP is the largest pharmacy organization in the United States. Mustafa Lokhandwala, executive vice dean for research in the Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, states that such an honor would really boost the standards of UH. We are now a Tier One university and striving to maintain and achieve even higher standards, Lokhandwala said. Being recognized as a fellow of a society of professional organizations is really important because it adds to the stature of not only the College of Pharmacy but also that of the University of Houston. For about a decade, Garey … Continue reading →

Chris Cole Pharmacy Closing Chris Cole Pharmacy has been a fixture in Arcadia for more than three decades, but in just a few days, the drug store will be history. "Our customers are very upset about the fact it's closing down," said owner Lee Brown. Brown says she has no choice but to close it down thanks to five women accused of stealing and selling more than 10-thousand pills. "They were waiting until the pharmacist went to sleep at night and going in and getting his key," said Bienville Parish Sheriff John Ballance. Investigators say the three main culprits are the pharmacist's step-daughter, Diana Lofton, and her daughters, Venus Lofton and India Feazel. Sheriff Ballance says the women also stole the pharmacist's code to the alarm system. Authorities say they broke into the pharmacy several times between June and July. The stolen pills were said to be sold for as much as ten dollars each in Bienville, Claiborne, Lincoln, Bossier and Caddo parishes. Also charged in connection are Christen Murphy and Alice Goodwin. Ballance says when Goodwin was arrested for an unrelated charge in Webster parish, she started singing like a bird. One month later, deputies had a flock of … Continue reading →

Pharmacists were left with no alternative but to sign-up to the new community pharmacy agreement and the Minister of Health is kidding himself if he thinks most did so happily. Labour's Health spokesperson, Maryan Street says pharmacists had no real choice but to cave in despite their concerns, because they would not have received payment for June if they did not. "Tony Ryall continues to ignore the pharmacists' concerns over gaps in the contract, such as how much they will get paid after 1 February next year, as well as their anxiety over patient safety and the viability of pharmacies in rural areas. "He has consistently treated the pharmacists with disdain even though many of them have taken their concerns directly to him. The Pharmacy Guild continues to tell the Minister that all is well when its own members are clear that the opposite is true," she says. "The change that this contract involves, and the haste with which it has been rushed through, threatens the livelihoods of many pharmacists and the care they can deliver as health professionals. If their pharmacies are not viable, that delivery of health care is threatened. "Mr Ryall should recognise when there is a … Continue reading →

FLINT, Mich., July 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy, the nation's largest privately held specialty pharmacy, revealed the results of its annual Physician Satisfaction Survey today. The survey, conducted by Gartner & Associates LLC in July 2012, reaffirms Diplomat's industry leading physician satisfaction rates. Key survey findings reflect: Further, there was a 10% increase over 2011 in the number of healthcare workers who responded "very satisfied" when asked to rank their satisfaction based on the knowledge and helpfulness of Diplomat's care staff, pharmacists and nurses. Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy CEO, Phil Hagerman, says the overwhelmingly positive 2012 survey results affirm the daily efforts of the company's Education & Training center known as Diplomat University. "This type of physician-provided data reinforces the importance and value of our approach to employee training and education," notes Hagerman. "Our increases in service levels are compelling and demonstrate that we are not putting growth in front of patient services and overall care. We believe that our industry-leading Diplomat University is helping to create a more knowledgeable, helpful and compassionate team of support staff." About Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy Michigan-based Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy, founded in 1975, serves patients nationwide as the country's largest privately held Specialty Pharmacy and … Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., July 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --LearnSomething, distributor of the SpecialtyRxAdvisor program, has announced an exclusive partnership with PANTHERx Specialty Pharmacy. SpecialtyRxAdvisor delivers online mini-courses on specialty pharmacy drugs and services to retail pharmacy professionals. Under the agreement, PANTHERx will advise LearnSomething on the content for SpecialtyRxAdvisor programs and introduce the education programs to manufacturers who dispense specialty drugs. "SpecialtyRxAdvisor couldn't be timelier for retail pharmacies," says Dr. Gordon J. Vanscoy, associate dean and professor of pharmacy and therapeutics at the University of Pittsburgh, and chairman and CEO of PANTHERx Specialty Pharmacy. "Growth of specialty drugs is outpacing traditional medications and within a few years will account for 40 percent or more of pharmaceutical manufacturer sales. These are complex medications needing extensive management to support patient safety and adherence. It was easy for us to see how important a partnership with SpecialtyRxAdvisor can be in this growing market." Pharmacy professionals access SpecialtyRxAdvisor mini-courses using the same networks they currently use for compliance education, so integrating the program is seamless. "We have become experts at building the infrastructure and platform to provide online education to pharmacy professionals, with 85 percent penetration in retail pharmacies," says Steve Roden, president and CEO of … Continue reading →

23 July 2012 Last updated at 21:03 ET Plans for a pharmacy in Dumfries which had been rejected by councillors have been allowed after an appeal to the Scottish government. The local authority turned down the bid for the site on the corner of Lockerbie Road and the Laurels earlier this year. It had received a number of objections to the scheme and refused it due to road safety concerns. However, a Scottish government reporter has now ruled it can proceed with a number of conditions. The proposed scheme attracted a large number of objections - mostly concerned about traffic issues and the impact on the amenity of the area. A reporter took the view that the development of a pharmacy and its design would be in keeping with the existing character of the Lockerbie Road. He also found that evidence of any road safety issues was "neither substantive nor compelling". He said that his own site inspection had found free traffic flows were possible "most of the time" although that would rely on compliance and enforcement of double yellow lines in the area. His report concluded that the development could proceed but with a string of conditions about landscaping, … Continue reading →

Q: I have worked outside for most of my career, which is great, but it can be a challenge in the summer. Several years ago, I became very rundown during a brutally hot summer. On a whim, I dumped some salt in my hand and licked it up. I felt better immediately! Normally I maintain a low-salt diet, but increasing my salt intake during the summer really helps my stamina. How do you know how much is enough? I am 59, and I have low blood pressure, good cholesterol levels and take no medication. A: There is still controversy as to whether a hardworking person like you needs to get more salt when sweating profusely. Some experts say no. Those who say yes point out that salt helps with rehydration. In one study, athletes exercised until they were exhausted and dehydrated (Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition online, Aug. 22, 2010). Neither the placebo beverage nor Gatorade with electrolytes quickly restored their exercise capacity, though a more complex electrolyte drink (Rehydrate) did. Rely on your body to self-regulate its salt needs. Nearly a decade ago, Israeli researchers did an experiment in which they administered various doses of salt … Continue reading →

Hornell's only locall owned pharmacy will close its doors this week. Maple City Pharmacy owner Randy Weaver said the business will close its doors at the end of the day Wednesday. Weaver said the decision to sell was based on a business environment made "difficult" by insurance company regulations and mandated mail orderings. "So basically Rite Aid came along and made the right offer," he said. Pharmacy competition in the area is also increasing, Weaver said, with another drug store considering opening in the Maple City. "I don't think there's enough business for five pharmacies," he said. Mayor Shawn Hogan said he didn't think there would be a negative impact to the community. "With Wegmans and Rite Aid and Walmart and the impending addition of another pharmacy I don't think there's a problem," he said. "He's a businessman and has the right to make whatever decision he wants to." The business's pharmacy customers and employees will transfer to Rite Aid Thursday. Weaver also said he doesn't foresee any negative impact. Customers will have expanded hours and services because of the move, he said. "That was one of the major things (in this decision), we didn't want to negatively impact customers," … Continue reading →