The board of directors for the Board of Pharmacy Specialties voted to not approve a proposed specialty certification for pharmacy administration and leadership, the organization said Nov. 21.  An offshoot of the American Pharmacists Association, the Board of Pharmacy Specialties…

Becker’s asked pharmacy executives from hospitals and health systems across the U.S. to share how their organizations are navigating today’s workforce challenges while planning for the needs of tomorrow. The 15 executives featured in this article are all speaking at…

Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 drug semaglutide did not demonstrate a statistically significant effect in slowing progression of Alzheimer’s disease in two late-stage clinical trials. According to a Nov. 24 news release from the company, two double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase 3 trials enrolled…

Immunity from the measles vaccine declines significantly over time, with 18.1% of recipients lacking detectable antibodies 23 years after vaccination. A study published Nov. 3 in eClinicalMedicine, the open access journal of The Lancet, by researchers from the University of…

Lawmakers are pressing the FDA for answers about its Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program, voicing concerns over potential corruption, safety risks and transparency issues. In a Nov. 20 letter to FDA Commissioner Martin Makary, MD, and HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy…

The FDA approved Novartis’ Itvisma (onasemnogene abeparvovec-brve), the company’s first and only gene replacement therapy for spinal muscular atrophy in children 2 and older, as well as for teens and adults. The therapy is designed to address the genetic root…

Optum Rx will eliminate reauthorization requirements for 40 additional medications beginning Jan. 1 as part of the company’s effort to streamline access to prescriptions. The reductions focus on two drug classes — hormone therapy and injectables for knee osteoarthritis —…

Telehealth companies are promoting GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy for cosmetic weight loss in non-obese patients, despite FDA limitations on their approved use, according to a Nov. 24 report from Bloomberg. About 93% of GLP-1 ads from telehealth…

The FDA has approved Pfizer and Astellas’ Padcev (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv) plus Merck’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as a perioperative treatment for adults with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who are ineligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The approval comes following a phase 3 EV-303 trial that…

Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly is the first publicly traded U.S. healthcare company to reach market capitalization over $1 trillion, elevating the drugmaker to an exclusive list dominated by tech giants.  Eli Lilly’s shares peaked Nov. 21, giving the pharmaceutical company market…