I Ahe Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) is a statutory public-private partnership composed of legislators, governments, and businesses in the U.S. and Canada, namely the northwestern states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington and the Western Canadian provinces British Columbia, Alberta, and the Yukon Territory.

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COLD-fX Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc., based in New York, has launched COLD-fX, a dietary supplement intended to strengthen the immune system. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of CV Technologies of Edmonton, Canada.

Continue reading " Ginseng Extract: Immune System Builder "

Our work in drug utilization evaluation (DUE) and monitoring continues to be robust. For example, although we use the proprietary CPOE system known as “LastWord,” we continue to make specific recommendations almost monthly with respect to pharmacists’ documentation and deletion of certain warnings on drug allergies.

Continue reading " Toot Your Own Horn Two: Medication Use Evaluation "

In the April 2006 issue of P&T, I discussed the work of one of our key committees at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, namely, the medication quality subcommittee of the P&T committee. As I noted then, I have had the privilege, for many years, of chairing this committee, which is staffed by senior members of our [...]

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Among patients recommended for treatment in accordance with guidelines of the AASLD and the Asia-Pacific Association for Study of the Liver (APASL) were those who were HBeAg-positive with ALT levels at two or more times the upper limit of normal (ULN). HBeAg loss or HBeAg seroconversion (un-detectable serum HBV DNA) and virological response favored telbivudine.

Continue reading " American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases part 2 "

Following closely on the heels of the approval of telbivudine (Tyzeka, Novartis/Idenix) on October 25, 2006, for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, presentations at the meeting featured the agent’s benefits of two-year results from the international GLOBE trial. Telbivudine, a once-daily oral agent, suppresses hepatitis B virus (HBV) in adults with evidence of viral [...]

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To our knowledge, this was the largest administrative data­base evaluation of off-label rFVIIa usage conducted to date. The most remarkable finding is that more than 89% of rFVIIa pre­scribed during the 4.3-year study period was for off-label indi­cations. In addition, prescribing practices varied considerably, with many clinical specialists prescribing rFVIIa for off-label use.

Continue reading " Recombinant Activated Human Factor VII (NovoSeven): DISCUSSION "