Pharmacy

Hospitals and clinics should plan to spend 11% to 13% more for prescription drugs in 2025 compared to last year, according to new research.  For the second consecutive year, Keytruda was the costliest drug expense for nonfederal hospitals in 2024,…

Boise, Idaho-based St. Luke’s Health System has erected automated medication lockers at supermarkets and other locations to increase access, ABC affiliate KIVI-TV reported April 23.  To enhance access and convenience for patients, six WinCo Foods stores have installed the devices.…

Health system pharmacists and physicians are monitoring a wave of expected new drug approvals between late 2024 and third quarter of 2025.  A recent article published in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy outlines several therapies likely to have a…

Walgreens is rolling out a new education initiative to support pharmacy technicians interested in becoming pharmacists.  PharmStart is an online education program that covers the cost of prerequisite coursework requirements for eligible pharmacy technicians and other frontline Walgreens staff interested…

Bristol Myers Squibb’s schizophrenia drug Cobnefy failed to meet a primary goal in a phase 3 trial, possibly clouding the drug’s future development.  The trial evaluated Cobnefy as an add-on therapy to existing atypical antipsychotics in adults with uncontrolled schizophrenia…

A recent study found that changing the default prescription length for statins to 90 days significantly increased the number of long-term prescriptions written, potentially improving patient adherence.  The intervention, which was implemented at the University of Pennsylvania’s health system in…

Charlottesville, Va.-based UVA Health is swapping traditional plastic pill bottles for recyclable containers called Tully Tubes to reduce waste and cut carbon admissions, according to an April 22 news release.  The bottles, developed by Parcel Health, are made from 100%…

Millions of Medicaid beneficiaries have limited access to Type 2 diabetes medications that reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study published April 22 in Annals of Internal Medicine.  An analysis of 50 state Medicaid plans and 273…

Lurie Children’s Hospital, based in Chicago, will open its first outpatient specialty pharmacy in partnership with Clearway Health.  The 2,050-square-foot facility, set to open in late 2026, will be on the third floor of the new Lurie Children’s Outpatient and…

A coalition of 39 state attorneys general called on Congress to pass legislation prohibiting pharmacy benefit managers and parent companies from owning or operating pharmacies.  In an April 14 letter, the attorneys general said such ownership practices distort competition, drive…