ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The November/December issue of the Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy (JMCP) has been released on http://www.amcp.org/ and in print. A peer-reviewed publication of original research for pharmacy practitioners and health care providers, the Journal is a publication of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP). JMCP is approved by the National Library of Medicine and indexed in MEDLINE, among recognized international scientific and academic journals of distinction. Among featured articles in November/December are:
Critical Examination of the Evidence to Support Off-Label Uses of Neurontin ...
A review of the medical literature found little or no evidence to support the use of gabapentin (Neurontin) for a host of off-label indications other than diabetic neuropathy and migraine prophylaxis. Two accompanying editorials provide additional perspective regarding the arguments for and against the use of gabapentin for off-label indications.
Potential Role of New Biologic Therapies in the Treatment of Allergic Asthma ...
A review of the medical literature helps to predict the current and future role of new biologic therapies in the treatment of allergic asthma. While the majority of patients that suffer from allergic asthma are controlled on standard therapy such as inhaled corticosteroids, a difficult-to-treat subset of patients with moderate to severe asthma could benefit from new biologic therapies that attack the source of the disease. The value-for-money equation will be influenced by how well allergic asthma patients can be stratified to target those patients who will benefit most from these new therapies, which include anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, cytokine modulators and DNA vaccinations.
Results From a Diabetes Disease Management Program Tracked for Five Years ...
The results from measurement of 7 key outcome indicators in diabetes care management are presented from an integrated health network (IHN) that has been nationally recognized as one of the most integrated and highest quality managed care organizations in the country. The performance report for the Diabetes Care Management System (DCMS) at this IHN includes five years of data on intermediate outcomes such as the percentage of patients who have hemoglobin A1c less than 7.0. This multifaceted diabetes disease management program produced significant improvement in all 7 measures of intermediate outcomes over the five-year period from 1998 through 2002.
Retrospective Drug Utilization Review (DUR) Reduced the Incidence of True- Positive Potentially Serious Drug-Drug Interactions by 94% ...
A retrospective drug utilization review program operated by a national pharmacy benefit manager reduced the number of letters to physicians warning of potentially serious drug-drug interactions (DDIs) by 94%. Evaluation of 51 pairs of drugs known to produce potentially serious adverse effects showed that the incidence of true-positive interactions was reduced by 70.8%-from 244,703 cases (0.8% of total prescription claims) to 65,544 pairs-through the application of more sophisticated electronic filters. Further review by clinical pharmacists reduced the number of potentially serous DDIs to 12,722 (0.04% of total prescription claims), a reduction of 94.3% produced by this 2- stage retrospective DUR filter mechanism.
The Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy is published bimonthly and is received by all members of the Academy as a benefit of membership. Nonmembers may obtain copies of the publication by downloading articles of interest from the Journal's website at http://www.amcp.org/jmcp/index_jmcp.asp. Questions about the publication may be directed to Frederic R. Curtiss, PhD, RPh, CEBS, editor in chief, at fcurtiss@amcp.org
The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's mission is to empower its members to serve society by using sound medication management principles and strategies to achieve positive patient outcomes. AMCP has more than 4,800 members nationally who provide comprehensive coverage and services to the more than 200 million Americans served by managed care. More news and information about AMCP can be obtained on their website, at www.amcp.org.
Academy of Managed Care PharmacyCONTACT: Carolyn Stables of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy,+1-703-683-8416 ext. 308, or cstables@amcp.org
