Jazz Pharmaceuticals is the latest drugmaker to impose pricing restrictions for 340B participants, according to a Sept. 11 news release from the 340B Health organization. Its decision makes it the 25th drugmaker to impose the restrictions since 2020. 

 FDA advisory members are meeting Sept. 11-12 to vote on whether phenylephrine should be reclassified as ineffective amid data suggesting the common ingredient in over-the-counter cold medicines does not relieve symptoms when taken orally. 

Novartis pulled one drug lot from the market after finding crystal formation in some bottles, which could lead to incorrect dosing, the FDA said Sept. 11. 

On Sept. 12, the CDC director delivered the final stamp of approval to XBB.1.5-focused COVID-19 boosters, which could be available to the public later this week.

In July, the European Medicines Agency began reviewing GLP-1 receptor agonists, including Ozempic, Saxenda and Wegovy, because of Icelandic patients reporting thoughts of suicide and self-harm. The U.S. has not launched a similar probe. 

The California State Board of Pharmacy recently placed a Sutter Health hospital's pharmacy on a three-year probation, local news outlet Del Norte Triplicate reported Sept. 7. 

A small study of 10 participants found that semaglutide, the generic for Ozempic and Wegovy, could minimize or eliminate the need for Type 1 diabetes patients to take insulin. 

Within two years, Peoria, Ill.-based OSF HealthCare doubled engagement in a program for pharmacists that was originally made for nurses. 

Type 2 diabetes patients who take a GLP-1 such as Ozempic or Wegovy are associated with higher usage of continuous glucose monitors, Dexcom said Sept. 5, according to an Investor's Business Daily report.

Aktiv Pharma Group, a drugmaker based in Broomfield, Colo., plans to shut down two of its three plants and lay off 70 workers, according to multiple news outlets. 

Lupin, a Mumbai, India-based drug company, is collaborating with Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. to sell its generic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease drug through the mail-order pharmacy. 

Researchers in the U.S. and U.K. are testing Type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic and weight loss therapy Wegovy for their potential in diminishing dementia and addiction, CNBC reported Sept. 7. 

Pharmacists are overworked and understaffed, according to the California Board of Pharmacy, and it may be what is leading them to make up to 5 million errors each year, the Los Angeles Times reported Sept. 5.

Amid a late-summer increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the next booster shot targeting XBB.1.5 might be available as early as Sept. 13. 

CMS bookmarked $9 billion for the 2,600 340B hospitals to repay unlawful payment cuts, and nearly half, $4.3 billion, is planned for 100 of those hospitals, according to data from the Community Oncology Alliance. 

When UPMC was short on COVID-19 monoclonal antibody Evusheld, the Pittsburgh-based system assembled a weighted lottery for equitable care, according to a study published Sept. 1 in JAMA. 

As quality issues remain as the main reason drugs fall into shortages, the FDA unveiled a plan to incentivize drugmakers to invest in quality measures, according to a white paper.

Besides AI, one emerging technology is snatching the attention of Joe Burczynski, PharmD, which performs tasks in a manner similar to completing a "Where's Waldo?" game with immediate success.

D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital in Brewton, Ala., chose Amy Holland, PharmD, as its pharmacy director, according to an Aug. 28 news release.

An average of 80 antibiotic doses were wasted daily at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta between 2020 and 2021, which cost the system about $233,000, according to a study conducted by employees of the three-hospital system and Atlanta-based Emory University.