ReportersNotebook — Chain Pharmacy, 11/5/12

SUPPLIER NEWS — Pharmacy automation manufacturer Kirby Lester has launched a version of one of its tablet counters with streamlined verification software. The company announced the launch of KL1Plus, which it said combines the KL1 tablet counter with the updated software.


“There is absolutely no reason why a pharmacy can’t afford to verify 100% of orders now that the KL1Plus has been developed,” Kirby Lester president and CEO Garry Zage said. “Pharmacies across the country have incorporated the KL1 into their operations. Now, they can use the KL1, plus verification.”


The counter, which is 7 in. wide and weighs 8 lbs., is designed to verify all pharmacy orders so that patients receive the right medication, dosage and quantity each time, allowing the pharmacy technician to scan the bar code on the patient’s prescription label and then scan the label on the corresponding stock bottle to ensure there’s a match.


The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new use for a drug made by Roche division Genentech. The drug maker said that the FDA had approved Actemra (tocilizumab) for adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have not responded adequately to one or more disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. The drug was already approved for systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis.


Medical supply company BD has introduced a disposable injection pen that it said was designed for drugs requiring frequent, low-volume injections or variable dosing. The company’s BD Medical division announced the introduction of the Vystra. The company said the pen is designed for ease of use, comfort and reliability, including design features like multidosing, simple dose dialing and correction with audible clicks and large and clear dose markings.


“As more patient care shifts to the outpatient setting, self-injection devices must be able to accommodate the requirements of an ever broader range of drugs and patient profiles,” said Krista Thompson, BD medical VP and global leader for pharmaceutical systems and the self-administration injection systems platform. “With the BD Vystra disposable pen, BD has incorporated several customization options to meet these needs.”