FDA approves 2006-2007 flu vaccines
FDA approved seasonal flu vaccines for the 2006-20007 flu season. Because different influenza strains may appear each year, one or more strains in the vaccine may need to be changed to protect against what public health experts think are the strains most likely to affect people. The new formulation includes one strain from last year's flu vaccine and two new strains. It follows the recommendations of the World Health Organization and an FDA advisory committee. Seasonal flu vaccines don't protect against avian flu, which is caused by two different viral strains.
Four manufacturers have been approved to market flu vaccines in the United States — Chiron Vaccines Ltd., GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Med-Immune Vaccines Inc., and Sanofi Pasteur Inc.
Conscience compromise for Washington pharmacists
Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire has developed a compromise rule for pharmacists opposed to selling the Plan B emergency contraceptive. If adopted by the state Board of Pharmacy, the proposed regulation would end a stalemate between some women's groups and the association.
Under her proposal, individual druggists could avoid filling prescriptions that conflict with their personal benefits, but only if the patient is able to get a lawful medication without leaving the pharmacy. That would be a significant change from the Pharmacy Board's previous position that could have allowed pharmacists to refuse a prescription for personal reasons if they took specific steps to help the patient have the prescription filled elsewhere.
The governor's proposal also would cover over-the-counter sales of Plan B.
ValiMed systems in Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital has purchased three ValiMed systems to perform end product testing of compounded intravenous medications in its pharmacy departments and validation of returned narcotics in operating room suites and nursing units. CDEX Inc. says its ValiMed Medication Validation System gives clinicians a quick, cost-effective, simple tool to further ensure medication safety by verifying medications are correctly compounded.
"The pharmacy leadership at Texas Children's Hospital continues to look for opportunities to enhance our safety strategies," said pharmacy director Karen Gurwitch. "Since the majority of our medications are compounded, the ValiMed technology will provide an additional layer of safety and enable us to verify accuracy of multiple doses in a more timely fashion."
Using patent-pending technology, ValiMed validates medications to ensure that the correct drugs, in the correct amounts, in the correct diluent have been added to the dose during the compounding process, the company said.
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