www.medicalnewstoday.com

Product Alerts:

More Choices for BPH: Flomax Goes Generic

Flomax (tamsulosin) is the first selective alpha-blocker for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) to become available as a generic medication. Previously, only doxazosin and terazosin were available as generics to treat BPH and since these drugs are not selective alpha-blockers they cause more dizziness and hypotension. Doctors should start you on a low dose and build up to a higher dose over a period of a few weeks to give the patients body time to adjust to the medicine. That process is not necessary with tamsulosin. Patients can expect similar efficacy from all alpha-blockers used for BPH. Based on price, doxazocin and terazocin are still the cheapest and until more manufacturers distribute tamsulosin the price is still pretty high, more than $120 per month. The price for tamsulosin will drop as soon as additional generics come on the market.

Consumer Reports Health Blog: March 2010
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/health/2010/03/flomax-goes-generic-more-choices-for-men-with-enlarged-prostate-best-buy-drugs-enlarged-prostate.html

Pennsaid, New Topical Anti-inflammatory

Pennsaid is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) indicated for the treatment of signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee(s). Pennsaid will compete with Volatren Gel for osteoarthritis. Pennsaid seems to work as well as oral diclofenac for knee osteoarthritis. Topical NSAIDs have a lower risk of gastrointestinal and cardiovascular problems and liver enzyme elevations. Pennsaid might be a good choice when oral NSAIDs would be risky, such as for the elderly or a patient with a history of ulcers. Pennsaid must be applied four times a day to the knee. Patients might experience a garlicky odor or taste due to the DMSO that is used to help the diclofenac penetrate the skin.

About.Com Osteoarthritis: November 2009
http://osteoarthritis.about.com

One-in-three American adults have high blood pressure, now a cheaper alternative to brand-name Cozaar and Hyzaar medications has become available. Losartan is the first angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) to be available as a generic. More money is spent on ARBs than any other antihypertensive class of medications, because up to now there were no generics available. Once multiple generics are available you should see a price reduction of about 70%. Teva announced the introduction of losartan potassium tablets, a generic version of Merck & Co.'s Cozaar, in the 25-mg strength. Sandoz, the generics arm of Swiss drug maker Novartis, announced the introduction of authorized generic versions of Cozaar and a related drug, Hyzaar (losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide). The authorized generic Cozaar tablets will be available in the 25-mg, 50-mg and 100-mg strengths, while the authorized generic Hyzaar tablets will be available in the 50/12.5-mg, 100/12.5-mg and 100/25 mg strengths.

Drug Store News: April 2010
http://www.drugstorenews.com


	Pharmacist News Claim Processing Information Traditional prescriptions Bin #: 610550 PCN: AVIA Copay Only Billing prescriptions Bin #: 610550 PCN: APCO Contact Avia Partners at 800-273-9166 What's in the news: Silver Surfing Boosts the Brain Learning to silver surf the Internet, researchers found boosts brain activity and only after seven days. Learning to use the Internet stimulates neural activation patterns and could enhance brain function and cognition in older adults. One study suggests that the mental stimulation that occurs in people who frequently use the Internet may affect the efficiency of cognitive processing and change the way the brain encodes new information. In another study, the UCLA researchers have shown that searching the Internet results in a twofold increase in brain activity in older adults with previous Internet experience compared to those with little or none. More research could find out how Internet use affects the brains of younger people, and also identify which tasks involved in online searching cause the most brain activity. Medical News Today: October 2009 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com E-Prescribing To Grow with New Regulations E-prescribing tripled last year to 191 million according to the online prescribing leader Surescripts. Doctors are increasingly prescribing medications electronically, abandoning the traditional paper scripts that can result in drug errors due to hard-to-read writing or coverage denials by a patient's insurer. One-quarter of physician practices now have the ability to e-prescribe. Nearly all chain drug stores and 62% of independent pharmacies now accept e-prescriptions that are uploaded directly to their computers. The Drug Enforcement Administration has said it will allow doctors to prescribe narcotics, antidepressants and other controlled medicines electronically in the near future, a change from past policy. Medical News Today: April 2010 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com Product Alerts: More Choices for BPH: Flomax Goes Generic Flomax (tamsulosin) is the first selective alpha-blocker for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) to become available as a generic medication. Previously, only doxazosin and terazosin were available as generics to treat BPH and since these drugs are not selective alpha-blockers they cause more dizziness and hypotension. Doctors should start you on a low dose and build up to a higher dose over a period of a few weeks to give the patients body time to adjust to the medicine. That process is not necessary with tamsulosin. Patients can expect similar efficacy from all alpha-blockers used for BPH. Based on price, doxazocin and terazocin are still the cheapest and until more manufacturers distribute tamsulosin the price is still pretty high, more than $120 per month. The price for tamsulosin will drop as soon as additional generics come on the market. Consumer Reports Health Blog: March 2010 http://blogs.consumerreports.org/health/2010/03/flomax-goes-generic-more-choices-for-men-with-enlarged-prostate-best-buy-drugs-enlarged-prostate.html Pennsaid, New Topical Anti-inflammatory Pennsaid is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) indicated for the treatment of signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee(s). Pennsaid will compete with Volatren Gel for osteoarthritis. Pennsaid seems to work as well as oral diclofenac for knee osteoarthritis. Topical NSAIDs have a lower risk of gastrointestinal and cardiovascular problems and liver enzyme elevations. Pennsaid might be a good choice when oral NSAIDs would be risky, such as for the elderly or a patient with a history of ulcers. Pennsaid must be applied four times a day to the knee. Patients might experience a garlicky odor or taste due to the DMSO that is used to help the diclofenac penetrate the skin. About.Com Osteoarthritis: November 2009 http://osteoarthritis.about.com Losartan: The First Generic ARB One-in-three American adults have high blood pressure, now a cheaper alternative to brand-name Cozaar and Hyzaar medications has become available. Losartan is the first angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) to be available as a generic. More money is spent on ARBs than any other antihypertensive class of medications, because up to now there were no generics available. Once multiple generics are available you should see a price reduction of about 70%. Teva announced the introduction of losartan potassium tablets, a generic version of Merck & Co.'s Cozaar, in the 25-mg strength. Sandoz, the generics arm of Swiss drug maker Novartis, announced the introduction of authorized generic versions of Cozaar and a related drug, Hyzaar (losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide). The authorized generic Cozaar tablets will be available in the 25-mg, 50-mg and 100-mg strengths, while the authorized generic Hyzaar tablets will be available in the 50/12.5-mg, 100/12.5-mg and 100/25 mg strengths. Drug Store News: April 2010 http://www.drugstorenews.com