Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) President and CEO Billy Tauzin today expressed his hope that the next head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can work with diverse constituents and improve the agency?s scientific bases.

A San Francisco judge denied Philip Morris' request for a temporary restraining order against the ban on pharmacy sales of tobacco products. The ban will affect 52 of 54 Walgreens as well as other chain pharmacies such as Rite-Aid and Longs.

Physical and personal trainers recommend supplements and OTC products to their clients without considering possible interactions with other supplements or meds. By becoming an information resource to trainers, pharmacists can take the lead in promoting safe use of these products.

Medicare has stopped paying hospitals for blood conditions caused by poor inpatient glycemic control. Health-system pharmacists can help prevent these conditions and reduce uncompensated expenses by insisting on proper protocols.

Regulation of pharmacy techs in Florida goes into effect January 1, 2010.

Online prescription drug trafficking, abuse, and availability are the targets of the newly passed Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is notifying health care professionals and patients that Tyco Healthcare Group LP (Covidien) is recalling one lot of ReliOn sterile, single-use, disposable, hypodermic syringes with permanently affixed hypodermic needles due to possible mislabeling. The use of these syringes may lead to patients receiving an overdose of as much as 2.5 times the intended dose, which may lead to hypoglycemia, serious health consequences, and even death.

The shelves of the Divine Mercy Care pharmacy in Chantilly, Va. are stocked with allergy remedies, pain relievers, antiseptic ointments, and almost everything else sold in any drugstore. Shoppers looking for condoms, birth control pills, or emergency contraceptive, however, will need to go elsewhere.

The pharmacy profession needs to turn around its Rodney Dangerfield attitude and start focusing on goals that serve its members as well as the community.