The FDA added penicillin G benzathine to its drug shortages list April 26. The drug is the standard treatment for syphilis and is also used to treat strep throat. 

Clinical leaders know drug shortages are nothing new, but the current situation is incredibly challenging. Ongoing and active shortages are the highest since 2014, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).1

Akorn Operating Co., a Gurnee, Ill.-based drugmaker that closed all operations in late February, issued a nationwide recall of all lots of 84 drugs it made because the shutdown discontinued its quality measures. 

Remdesivir was nonfederal hospitals' costliest drug expense two years in a row despite a 58.1 percent drop in expenditures from 2021 to 2022, according to research published April 24 in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.

GoodRx co-founders Doug Hirsch and Trevor Bezdek are transitioning from their roles as co-CEOs, the company said April 25.

The FDA approved Qalsody (tofersen), a drug intended to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with a rare mutation called the superoxide dismutase 1 gene, on April 25.

Nonfederal hospitals' costs have hovered around $35 billion to $40 billion since 2018, and in 2023, overall prescription drug spending is expected to be about $38 billion, or a 1 percent to 3 percent increase from the prior year. 

Ohio Northern University and Clarkson University have teamed up to offer pharmacy doctoral candidates an accelerated track that will allow them to simultaneously earn a master's of business administration degree — or another option — upon graduation.

About 1 in 2 albuterol solutions are in shortage two months after Akorn Operating Co., a Gurnee, Ill.-based drugmaker, closed. 

Drug shortages are at 10-year high so far in 2023, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

A new bioengineered drug candidate demonstrated superior performance to a standard antibiotic at treating mice infected with Staphylococcus aureus, according to results from early testing published April 24 in Cell Host & Microbe. 

Eli Lilly has entered into a phase three clinical trial for its tirzepatide drug, also known as Mounjaro, to evaluate its efficacy at improving weight loss outcomes for patients experiencing obesity.

In compliance with the FDA and European regulators, Foghorn Therapeutics paused research testing its investigative cancer therapy, FHD-609, the Cambridge, Mass.-based biotech company said April 24. 

Patients who take Ozempic, a diabetes medication popularized for its off-label use as a weight-loss drug, are reporting strange outcomes. 

Desi Kotis, PharmD, the chief pharmacy executive at the University of California San Francisco Health, told Becker's hospital pharmacy teams should continue focusing on grassroots efforts to ensure patients know their pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. 

Mark Cuban launched his online drug business, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co., in January 2022 with the plan to "f— up" the industry. He hasn't done that yet, he told Becker's in early April. 

The Inflation Reduction Act is spurring pharma companies into mergers and acquisitions because of the "approaching patent cliff" in 2026, according to a report Moody's published April 17. 

Since 2015, at least 20 drugs have been in and out of shortage, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' drug supply database. 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas announced the launch of a mobile pharmacy benefit app, "MyBlueRxTX."

One day after launching a network of independent pharmacies across four states, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. tapped RevSpring to handle the drug company's payments.