No abstract

No abstract

he pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) committees of health plans have traditionally requested drug information from pharmaceutical manufacturers to assist them in the formulary review process. Until the turn of the century, manufacturers often responded to this request by providing information regarding potential price rebates and sending formulary kits containing marketing materials and clinical trial reprints.1 Concerns pertaining to the comprehensiveness and veracity of information provided by manufacturers led to the development of formulary submission guidelines, which served to formalize, standardize, and expand the information required for formulary review.2 In 2000, the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) developed its Format for Formulary Submissions, a template for health plans to use to develop their own formulary submission guidelines. 3 The Format has since been modified several times, most recently in April 2005. 4 While the use of formulary submission guidelines was slow to evolve, 5 they have come into widespread use, with more than 50 health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, hospitals, state Medicaid programs, or other public agencies (covering more than 100 million people) adopting the AMCP Format or a Format-like process. 6The centerpiece of the formulary submission process is the dossier, a standardized set of clinical and economic evidence prepared by pharmaceutical manufacturers and presented to health plans in response to unsolicited requests, for the plans' consideration during the formulary decision-making process. Many health plans questioned the quality of the first sets of dossiers they received, citing what they perceived to be poorly constructed dossiers containing incomplete or unreliable data. 7,8 While the quality and completeness of dossiers have reportedly improved over time, 9,10 recent research examining the response rate BACKGROUND: The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Format for Formulary Submissions, a template for health plans to use in developing formulary submission guidelines, has been widely adopted since its initial release in 2000. Many health plans request a dossier (a standardized set of clinical and economic evidence prepared by pharmaceutical manufacturers) to provide information for consideration during the formulary decision-making process. While dossier quality has reportedly improved over time, there is no recent research examining the response rate to dossier requests and the quality of dossiers received.OBJECTIVE: To perform an evaluation of pharmaceutical manufacturers' response to a request for a product dossier prepared using the AMCP Format, and to determine if dossier receipt was associated with a favorable formulary placement. METHODS: The pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) committee of a mid-Atlantic health plan with approximately 3 million members reviewed 43 drug products from February 2004 through December 2005. A university-based clinical evaluation subcontractor requested dossiers in the AMCPFormat by telephone and e-mail from the manufa...

Objective. To create an elective course to foster student interest in pursuing a career in academic pharmacy. Design. The course met for two hours once weekly throughout the semester and required student attendance at the AACP Annual Meeting. The course included didactic instruction, a student-designed individual teaching seminar, design and implementation of a research project for presentation at a national meeting, and drafting of a manuscript suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Assessment. Student evaluations revealed strong agreement that the course met the stated objectives. Follow-up correspondence indicated that almost 70% were likely to pursue an academic career and felt the course gave them advantages over their peers in this regard. Conclusion. The outcomes from this elective course and follow-up surveys confirmed that the majority of participants were planning on pursuing an academic pharmacy career and felt the course increased their readiness to do so.

Objective. To identify student government designs used by pharmacy programs and to examine their functions, duties, and relationships with other student organizations. Methods. A 21-question survey was developed and distributed to pharmacy deans, who were asked to forward the survey to the leader of their student government organization. Results were analyzed in aggregate.Results. Seventy-one programs responded (56%). Of respondents, 96% had a pharmacy student government association (PSGA). Programs officers generally consisted of a president (87%), secretary (81%), vice-president (79%), and treasurer (70%). Functions of the PSGAs included oversight of fundraisers (76%), on-campus events (69%), social events (61%), organizational meetings (59%), and off-campus events (57%). Approximately half (45%) of PSGAs were part of a larger, universitywide student government. Conclusion. While student government organizations are nearly universal in pharmacy programs, their oversight of other student organizations, as well as their involvement within a larger university-wide student government, varies greatly.

No abstract

No abstract

Objective. To identify the various IPPE designs utilized by US pharmacy programs. Methods. A 20-question survey was developed and distributed to experiential affairs professionals at 129 pharmacy institutions nationwide addressing school demographics and IPPE design. Results were analyzed in aggregate. Results. Ninety-three schools responded (72%). Eighty-nine percent of those reported beginning IPPE experiences in the first professional year, although there was a great variation regarding whether the IPPE was held while didactic classes were in session or during school breaks. The number of required practice experiences varied. Institutions prohibited students from completing rotations in the same pharmacy chain (72%) or hospital (70%) where employed, and from completing 2 rotations at the same site (62%). Fifty-seven percent utilized faculty members as preceptors. 51% allowed a maximum of 2 students per preceptor per practice experience. Conclusion. While clear trends existed in IPPE curricula, institutions incorporated aspects that addressed unique needs. Further research can determine the benefits and drawbacks of different IPPE designs.