Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed the Community Pharmacy Relief Act into law April 15, a measure supported by pharmacy employees who staged a walkout at more than 100 pharmacies across the state.  The legislation prohibits pharmacy benefit managers from steering…

Cleveland-based MetroHealth System has opened its 12th retail pharmacy, located at the Brooklyn Health Center in Ohio.  The new site fills a healthcare need following recent closures of three national chain pharmacies in the area, the system said in a…

About 60% of the 3,058 pharmacists who took certification or recertification exams in 2024 passed, according to the Board of Pharmacy Specialties. The three most popular specialties were pharmacotherapy (771 examinees), oncology (519) and critical care (377).  All-time pass rates…

Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. has named Erin Albert, PharmD, as its new chief of pharmacy relations, network and privacy.  Dr. Albert joined the Dallas-based company in 2022 and most recently served as vice president of pharmacy relations and…

Ochsner Children’s is launching a new yearly pharmacy fellowship in partnership with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, with an aim at training a new generation of pharmacists focused on medication safety and quality improvement.  The yearlong fellowship, set to…

With the recent tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, experts are warning that new trade barriers could jeopardize the supply of heparin, an inexpensive and widely used anticoagulant critical for millions of hospitalized patients, The Washington Post reported April 13.…

The FDA will begin replacing animal testing in the development of monoclonal antibody therapies and other drugs with human-based methods.  The agency said the new approach will aim to improve drug safety, speed up the evaluation process, reduce the use…

Starting April 10, CivicaScript will offer its new drug, droxidopa, for $2,100 less than the average monthly price paid by a Medicare Part D beneficiary.  CivicaScript members, which include more than a dozen Blue Cross Blue Shield companies, said droxidopa…

More than one-third (41%) of active drug shortages began in 2022 or earlier, according to a new report from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.  The report tracks national drug shortage trends from January 2001 through March 2025. So far…

Here are six new shortages and discontinuations for April, according to drug supply databases from the FDA and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.  Editor’s note: The drugs listed are in alphabetical order.