In an ironic finding, considering a recent article indicated that ordering drugs via a computer order entry system actually decreased the risk for error, a new study analyzed by Pharmacy Practice News concluded that Electronic Health Records (EHRs) may lead to an increase in medication and other treatment errors. The…
Canadian officials have recently announced the recall of a particular lot of birth control pills called Alysena 28. The recall affects a small number of packages which contained 14 placebo and 14 active pills rather than 21 active pills and 7 placebo. Women who are taking the pill in order…
Canadian officials recently announced their discovery that over 1,000 patients undergoing chemotherapy over the past year have received diluted versions of their medications. Affected patients were receiving treatment for breast, lung and bladder cancers. Seventeen patients at one hospital alone have died since beginning treatment. One center reported more than…
A recent article published in the Pharmacy Times, describes the astounding results of a study regarding the use of computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems in hospitals. The study determined that as of 2008, the use of such systems has helped to avoid more than 17 million medication errors per…
Pharmacy and medication errors are not limited to similar looking pills getting mixed up. A recent article by a pharmacist discusses the value of having an independent verification process in place in order to prevent mix ups or misinterpretations. For example, in one case an order for the drug “eribulin”…
The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs has announced that it has reached a deal with CVS-Caremark regarding several incidents involving commingled prescription medications. Under the agreement, CVS will contribute $650,000 to go toward establishing programs regarding prescription drug safety and abuse. The incidents took place over a four month…
According to a recent study by Johns Hopkins University, surgical “never events,” the term used to describe occurrences that should never occur, such as operations on an incorrect body part or performing the incorrect procedure, are happening at a rate of at least 4,000 times per year. The study revealed…
The lack of comprehensive regulations regarding compounding pharmacies is cause for great concern. For example, records and otherdocuments show that grave safety lapses, such as that which occurred at a Massachusetts pharmacy last fall linked to a deadly meningitis outbreak, was not an isolated occurrence. Alarming revelations predate the New…
A Seattle woman suffering from multiple sclerosis, who also recently underwent hip surgery, went to her local pharmacy to have her prescriptions filled. When the woman went to take her pills, she noticed that something was a bit off. She knew that thecapsule was supposed to be white and green…
A plaintiff claiming that the drug Fosamax caused a painful jaw condition has won a $285,000 verdict against the drug’s manufacturer, Merck. Scheinberg v. Merck & Co., Inc., No. 1:2008-cv-04119 (S.D.N.Y., Feb. 5, 2013). While thousands of lawsuits related to Fosamax are currently pending, this is only the second case…