Medication therapy management training using case studies and the MirixaPro platform.

Objective: To implement and assess a medication therapy management (MTM) training program for pharmacy students using the MirixaPro (Mirixa Corporation, Reston, VA) platform and case studies.

Design: Students received lectures introducing MTM and were given a demonstration of the MirixaPro platform. They were divided into teams and assigned cases and times to interview patients portrayed by faculty members.

Establishing an institutional model for the administration of tositumomab and iodine I 131 tositumomab.

Radioimmunotherapy with radiolabeled anti-CD20 antibodies is a promising new treatment approach for low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, the administration of radiolabeled antibodies presents some added complexity. At the University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha, NE), an institutional model has been developed that ensures the efficient and safe delivery of tositumomab and iodine I 131 tositumomab (Bexxar; Corixa Corp, South San Francisco, CA and GlaxoSmithKline, Philadelphia, PA).

Explanations and unresolved issues pertaining to the development of the Nuclear Pharmacy Compounding Guidelines.

Objectives: To provide background information related to the development of the Nuclear Pharmacy Compounding Guidelines, to discuss regulatory complexities related to radiopharmaceutical compounding practice, and to summarize the gaps in the current compounding regulations for radiopharmaceuticals.

Data Sources: The Guidelines closely follow the provisions of section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), the monographs and chapters related to pharmacy compounding in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), and the recommended guidelines published by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Summary: The Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act (FDAMA) of 1997 established parameters under which the compounding of drug products is appropriate and lawful, but these criteria expressly do not apply to radiopharmaceuticals.

Combination therapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: an opportunity for pharmaceutical care in a specialty practice.

Objective: To describe the application of pharmaceutical care practices in the administration of new therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals used in the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

Practice Description: At the Antibody Labeling Facility at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the nuclear pharmacist provides support in the formulation, preparation, and quality testing of radiopharmaceuticals. The nuclear pharmacist also provides direct patient care by assisting in the administration of radiopharmaceuticals, monitoring patients during their infusions, and counseling patients on radioimmunotherapy and radiation safety.