BACKGROUND Several states have developed prescription-drug discount programs for Medicare beneficiaries. In California, Senate Bill 393, enacted in 1999, requires pharmacies participating in the state Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) to charge customers who present a Medicare card amounts based on Medi-Cal rates. Because Medicare beneficiaries may not be accustomed to presenting their Medicare cards...

BACKGROUND Public-private partnerships are felt to be necessary for tuberculosis (TB) control in some developing countries. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the potential of a collaboration between the National TB Programme (NTP) and private pharmacies in Bolivia, the country with the highest TB incidence in Latin America. METHODS We contacted the local Pharmacists' Association in the city of Cochaba...

OBJECTIVE The study aimed to document the state of insomnia management at community pharmacies in Pakistan. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted at randomly selected 371 pharmacies in three cities of Pakistan. Simulated patient visits were performed to collect information on case management of insomnia in terms of history taking and patient counseling at community pharmacies. The dat...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study was to measure the availability of energy-dense foods and sugar-sweetened beverages in pharmacies and to examine differences by pharmacy type and presence of a food policy. DESIGN Trained research staff visited pharmacies (n 37) to measure shelf space and variety of snacks, candy and sugar-sweetened beverages available within 10 ft (3·05 m) of the ph...

BACKGROUND Proximity is an important component of access to healthcare services. Recent changes in generic pricing in Ontario have caused speculation about pharmacy closures. However, there is little information on the current geographic accessibility of pharmacies. Therefore, we studied geographic access to pharmacies and modelled the impact of possible closures. METHODS We used location dat...

BACKGROUND Amidst the rise of e-commerce, there has been a proliferation of illicit online pharmacies that threaten global patient safety by selling drugs without a prescription directly to the consumer. Despite this clear threat, little is known about the key risk characteristics, central challenges and current legal, regulatory and law enforcement responses. SOURCES OF DATA A review was con...

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between pharmacy size and the likelihood of obtaining antibiotics without medical prescription at a pharmacy. In 2008 in Catalonia, two actors presented three different cases in a randomised sample of pharmacies and asked pharmacists for an antibiotic. Pharmacies were considered as small when having limited space with only one counter and a ...

BACKGROUND Current regulations in Spain state that antibiotics cannot be sold without a medical prescription. The objective of this study was to quantify the percentage of pharmacies selling antibiotics without an official medical prescription in Catalonia, Spain, by the simulation of 3 different clinical cases presented by actors. METHODS A prospective study was performed from January throug...

In 2005 the emergency contraception formulation of levonorgestrel (Plan B) became available in Ontario pharmacies without a prescription. We surveyed 239 pharmacies 1 month before the regulatory change and 14-17 months after the change to determine whether availability of the drug increased. The response rates were 79% and 70% before and after the change in status. The proportion of pharmacies ...