September 2009

(09/28/2009)  --  The FDA is alerting physicians and pharmacists to the potential for dosing errors with Tamiflu (i.e., oseltamivir phosphate) for oral suspension. According to the agency, U.S. physicians typically write prescriptions for liquid medications in milliliters or teaspoons. However, dose recommendations on the Tamiflu package insert are provided in milligrams, and the dosing dispenser provided with the drug is marked at 30, 45 and 60 milligrams only. More

(09/25/2009)  --  In recognition of September as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, many of your male patients (and their wives) may have been reading, hearing and seeing news reports, commercials and public service announcements encouraging men to be screened for the disease. However, the AAFP has concluded that current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of prostate cancer screening in men younger than age 75, and the Academy actually recommends against screening men 75 and older. More

(09/24/2009)  --  McNeil Consumer Healthcare, in consultation with the FDA, has voluntarily recalled a total of 57 lots of more than 20 of its liquid children's and infants' Tylenol products because of potential bacterial contamination. More

(09/23/2009)  --  Encouraging news about adult clinical trials involving the novel influenza A (H1N1) vaccine could boost uptake levels, but by how much remains to be seen. "It's still going to be an uphill battle," said family physician Doug Campos-Outcalt, M.D., M.P.A., the Academy's liaison to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. More

(09/22/2009)  --  Children are back in school and ready to learn. Are you ready to teach? Family physicians and other health care professionals present Tar Wars -- the Academy's tobacco-free education program -- to about 400,000 fourth- and fifth-grade students each year. The program has updated its curriculum for presenters and teachers just in time for back to school, said Pamela Rodriguez, AAFP's tobacco control manager. More

(09/16/2009)  --  Childhood immunization rates in the United States are high and remained relatively stable last year, says a new report from the CDC, but a disparity exists between rates among children in families living below the poverty line and those in children whose families are at or above that line. More

(09/16/2009)  --  A recently released government report found that U.S. adults are spending almost $34 billion a year on complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, products and therapies, as well as on visits to CAM practitioners. And that popularity can translate into extra dollars for family physicians, says one FP. There's no reason CAM techniques and remedies can't be incorporated into family medicine practices, says Reid Blackwelder, M.D., of Kingsport, Tenn. -- especially when doing so can help many diverse patients and earn FPs added compensation. More

(09/15/2009)  --  The FDA has approved four vaccines against the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus, and initial lots are expected to be distributed nationally within the next four weeks, according to a Sept. 15 news release from the agency. The approved vaccines are manufactured by CSL Ltd., MedImmune LLC, Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics Ltd. and sanofi pasteur Inc. following the same processes used to produce seasonal influenza vaccines. More

(09/11/2009)  --  The Institute of Medicine, or IOM, has endorsed the CDC's recommendation that health care workers who interact with patients with novel influenza A (H1N1) infection or influenza-like illnesses should use fit-tested N95 respirators. More

(09/11/2009)  --  The CDC is urging physicians to use antiviral medications appropriately to treat influenza during the 2009-10 flu season in order to avoid shortages and development of antiviral resistance. "It is very important that people know most children, adolescents and adults with influenza-like illness don't need the medicine," said Anne Schuchat, M.D., director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, during a Sept. 8 media briefing. More

(09/09/2009)  --  The AAFP has secured a tool to help family physicians earn extra dollars through CMS' 2009 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative, or PQRI. The new resource -- dubbed the PQRIwizard -- is a CMS-approved PQRI registry that offers physicians an online solution to reporting qualified measures data under the 2009 incentive program. More

(09/09/2009)  --  The CDC has updated its recommendations to physicians for prophylaxis against ophthalmia neonatorum, or neonatal conjunctivitis, in light of the current shortage of erythromycin ophthalmic ointment (0.5%), which is the only product available in the United States that is FDA-approved for this indication. More

(09/09/2009)  --  Another weight loss drug has come under FDA scrutiny. The agency said Aug. 24 that it is reviewing the safety of orlistat after receiving reports of liver injury in patients using the drug, which is marketed as the prescription drug Xenical and the OTC medication Alli. More

(09/08/2009)  --  Family physicians who contract with Humana and who received a recent letter from the health insurance company may be concerned about coding changes that take effect on Oct. 27. In particular, the AAFP's Practice Support Division has received inquiries from members who are uncertain about Humana's payment policy for a problem-oriented evaluation and management, or E/M, service when the service is performed on the same day as a preventive care visit. More

(09/08/2009)  --  The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, or AHRQ, has released two new guides to help women with gestational diabetes and their physicians make informed decisions about treatment options. AHRQ said in its Aug. 20 electronic newsletter that the guides provide the latest scientific evidence on the effectiveness and safety of drugs used to treat gestational diabetes, which affects 7 percent of pregnant women. More

(09/04/2009)  --  The CDC is informing physicians of a shortage of erythromycin (0.5%) ophthalmic ointment, which is the only product available in the United States that is recommended for prophylaxis against ophthalmia neonatorum, or neonatal conjunctivitis. More

(09/02/2009)  --  After a joint review of more than 12,000 adverse events reported after administration of quadrivalent human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine, FDA and CDC researchers concluded the vaccine "continues to be safe and effective, and its benefits continue to outweigh the risks." More