February 2012 Drug Update Information - Pharmacy Benefits ...

the use of XARELTO® (rivaroxaban), an oral anticoagulant, to reduce the risk of (thrombotic)
cardiovascular events in patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS).
Article link: http://www.pharmalive.com/News/index.cfm?articleid=
=819584
Source website: http: ://www.pharmalive.com/
F.D.A. Finds Short Supply of Attention Deficit Drugss
December 31, 2011
Medicines to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorderr are in such
short supply
that hundreds
of patients complain daily to the Food and Drug Administration that they are unable to find a
pharmacy
with enough pills to fill their prescriptions. The shortages are a result of a troubled
partnership between drug manufacturers and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with
companies trying to maximize their profits and drug enforcement agents trying to minimize
abuse by people, many of them college students, who usee the medications to get high or to stay
up all night.
Article link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/health/policy/fda-is-finding-attention-drugs-
for
inshort-supply.html?
_r=2
Source website: http: ://www.nytimes.com/
ADHD drugs do not
increase risk of heart
disease in adults, study finds
January 2, 2012
ADHD drugs raise blood pressure but do not
seem to endanger adultt hearts.
THE QUESTION Might adults with attentionn deficit/hyperactivity disorder face added risk serious cardiovascular problems because of the medications they take — drugs that have been
shown to
raise blood
pressure and heart rate?
THIS STUDY analyzed data on 443,198 adults, 25 to 644 years old, including 150,359 who took
ADHD medications,
mainly Ritalin (methylphenidate) orr Adderall (amphetamine) but also
Strattera (atomoxetine) or Cylert
(pemoline).
In about a two-year period, 1,357 heart attacks, 575
strokes and 296 sudden cardiac deaths were recorded. However, the cardiovascular problems
occurred at virtually the same rate among people who took ADHD medications and those who
did not, regardless of
people’s age, how long
they had been taking the medication or which drug
they took.
Article link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/adhd-drugs-do-not-
Source website: http: ://www.washingtonpost.com/national
Giving Antidepress
ants a Boost With a Vitamin
January 3, 2012
increaserisk-of-heart-disease-in-adults-study-finds/2011/
/12/23/gIQAhLeoWP_story.html
Deplin, a Prescription
Form of Folate, Is Increasingly Used for Patients With Resistant Cases of
Depression. Could a vitamin make antidepressants work better? That's the tantalizing premise
behind Deplin, a prescription form of the B-vitamin folate. Althoughh it has been on the market
since 2006, Deplin is
generating growing buzz at psychiatric conferences and among clinicians
and patients, particularly those who haven't responded too antidepressants or did for a while only
to have their depression return.
Article link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204368104577136850522166664.
html#
Source website:http:
//online.wsj.com/home-page
of Expanded Label on Berinert for
CSL Behring Receives FDA Approval
Selfadministration and Treatment of Acute Laryngeal Attacks of Hereditary Angioedema
January 3, 2012
11