Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego Bob Coleman?

If you said Augusta, you win! Bob stopped by for a visit with Barry Bryant (owner of Barney’s Pharmacy), Curtis Marshall of Medical Villa Pharmacy, and Courtney Russ of Surrey Center Pharmacy on his way to host Wednesday’s Region Briefing:

That’s not what we said

Imagine if you took the trouble to write up the federal guidelines for opioid prescriptions in the wake of the opioid crisis, and then people completely misinterpreted them?

They said some health care players had used the guidelines to justify an “inflexible application of recommended dosage and duration thresholds and policies that encourage hard limits and abrupt tapering of drug dosages,” when the guidelines did not actually endorse those policies.

Feds say Surescripts is a monopoly

The Federal Trade Commission filed an antitrust lawsuit against the company, saying it uses illegal means to maintain a virtual monopoly in electronic records and prescribing services.

Does Prolia need a black box warning?

People who take Prolia (denosumab) for osteoporosis are at a increased risk of vertebrae fractures if they discontinue the drug. The warning about that, though, is buried among all the other drug info, and now one consumer group is asking the FDA to require a “black box” warning instead.

The risk of this serious adverse effect could be mitigated with a prominent boxed warning and an updated risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS)that together would increase physician and patient awareness about the risks associated with treatment cessation. It also would discourage abrupt cessation of treatment….

Talk it out

A study finds that patients with irritable bowel syndrome can be successfully treated with cognitive behavioral therapy … over the phone or via the Web.

No, it’s not The Onion — coming soon to a baby products aisle near you

“Company creates tampon-shaped speakers so unborn babies can listen to music“