US Pharm. 2009;34(1):8.
Boston Bans Sale of Tobacco Products in Pharmacies
Boston, MA -- The board of the Boston Public Health Commission approved banning the sale of tobacco products at health and educational institutions, including in pharmacies and on college and university campuses. The board also voted to expand smoking restrictions in the workplace to include adjacent areas such as patios and loading docks and to prohibit smoking in hotels, inns, and bed and breakfasts in Boston. "The board's actions will help reduce young people's exposure to tobacco products, and ensure that they are not exposed to products that make them sick when they to go places like pharmacies to get well," said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission. Fines for violators range from $200 to $1,000.
WHO: Cancer Will Be Top Killer Worldwide by 2010
Atlanta, GA -- According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is expected to overtake heart disease as the world's top killer by 2010. The number of global cancer deaths is projected to increase 45% by 2030, from 7.9 million deaths to 11.5 million. While the aging population is one reason for the dramatic increase, common risk factors such as an unhealthy lifestyle and exposure to occupational or environmental carcinogens, radiation, and some infections are all contributing factors to the rise in cancer mortality.
Number of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Growing Rapidly
Chicago, IL -- A report in the Archives of Internal Medicine revealed that diabetes treatments are becoming far more costly and complex as a result of an increased number of patients with type 2 diabetes and the development of more expensive drugs to treat the disease. It is projected that over the next half century, the number of Americans diagnosed with type 2 diabetes will soar to 29 million, nearly triple the number it was in 2000. It is estimated that it currently costs approximately $132 billion annually to treat diabetes in the U.S. The researchers analyzed prescription data of patients age 35 and older with type 2 diabetes from 1994 to 2007. Among their findings were increases in the number of physician visits by this group, up from 25 million to 36 million, and that insulin use decreased from 38% in 1994 to a low of 25% in 2000, but increased again to 28% by 2007. The average cost per prescription rose from $56 in 2001 to $76 in 2007. The overall cost of medications for patients with diabetes doubled over the same six-year period, from $6.7 billion to $12.5 billion. This rise was attributed primarily to new forms of insulin and other classes of diabetes drugs.
Health-System Pharmacists Reducing Errors via Technology
Bethesda, MD -- A survey conducted by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) revealed that there is a concerted effort by health-system pharmacists to reduce drug errors by embracing the implementation of improved technology in their hospitals. Results of the survey showed that nearly a quarter of hospitals use bar code medication administration, and 44% operate "smart" infusion pumps. About 12% of hospitals have adopted computerized prescriber order entry with clinical-decision support systems designed to help prescribers make better medicine selections. And while the survey showed that health-system pharmacies are moving toward implementing newer technology, it also showed that there is currently inadequate staff to implement and manage it. Only 36% of the hospitals who answered the survey reported they currently staff their pharmacy with IT personnel; most depend on their current pharmacy staff to manage their technology. Another third said they plan on hiring more pharmacy IT staff in the future.
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