The Hawaii Department of Health and Honolulu-based Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children have agreed to partner in purchasing a year's supply of mifepristone — equivalent to 1,000 doses, according to an Aug. 24 news release. 

Matthew Jenkins, PharmD, will become Richmond, Va.-based VCU Health's first chief pharmacy officer on Sept. 17. 

CVS unveiled Cordavis, a new subsidiary focused on biosimilars in the U.S., on Aug. 23.

Two medications, ephedrine sulfate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate, were denied inclusion on the FDA's 503B bulks list, the agency said Aug. 21. 

The FDA warned Amazon, Walmart and two other companies for selling products for molluscum contagiosum — a viral skin infection that does not have any approved over-the-counter treatments. 

The American Hospital Association stated its opposition to a drafted July 28 proposal from the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee that could lead to limit access to the 340B Drug Pricing Program in an Aug. 22 letter. 

More than 97 percent of health systems and hospitals said the shortage of carboplatin, a bladder cancer drug, is affecting pharmacy operations and patient care, according to a survey conducted by Vizient. 

The FDA on Aug. 21 approved Pfizer's maternal vaccine meant to protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus. 

The Joint Commission has updated medication compounding requirements for hospitals to better align with national practice standards, the organization said Aug. 21. 

The World Health Organization's list of essential medications now includes a heart polypill after a study led by a Mount Sinai researcher found the drug reduced cardiovascular mortality by 33 percent. 

Type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic and weight loss medication Wegovy cost hundreds of dollars more in the U.S. than similar nations, and Novo Nordisk is profiting so much that Denmark's economy is shifting. 

The FDA placed a partial clinical hold on Gilead Science's phase 3 study of a potential therapy for acute myeloid leukemia, the Foster City, Calif.-based biopharmaceutical company said Aug. 21. 

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, which include Ozempic and Mounjaro, cost between five to 10 times more in the U.S. than other wealthy nations, according to research KFF published Aug. 17.

As of Aug. 16, about half of injectable drug solutions made by Pfizer Hospital US have little to no availability, according to a product availability report from the drugmaker. 

No drug has shown to improve all-cause mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — a fact that led the FDA to pen a warning letter to AstraZeneca for its advertising of its COPD drug Breztri Aerosphere. 

CMS plans to soon release its list of 10 drugs that are up for price negotiations as it gears up to wield new powers granted by the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed in August 2022. 

Walgreens will permanently close one of its pharmacy locations within a Maryland medical building after the retail pharmacy and owners of the medical center settled a lawsuit out of court in February, Herald Mail Media reported Aug. 15.

Ozempic might find itself in CMS' hands soon.

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have developed a probiotic to suppress autoimmunity in the brain, which is behind multiple sclerosis and several other autoimmune diseases. 

Numerous hospitals and health systems have invested in drug-delivery robots for years, but recently, there's been an uptick in adopting this technology, according to Joe Burczynski, PharmD.