Comparison of Community Pharmacy Practice in Japan and US State of Illinois.

In 2006, a new 6-year educational system of pharmaceutical sciences was initiated to turn out strong clinical pharmacists in Japan. However, this new attempt is estimated not to fully satisfy the demand of clinical sites and the needs of the society in Japan. The objective of this study is to assess the performance of pharmaceutical services of community pharmacists in Illinois, United States, and Japan with the aim of comparing these services and barriers to pharmacy service delivery. The study designed as a cross-sectional, web-based study among US and Japan pharmacists. The survey asks several questions about demographic data, technical-related information and pharmaceutical services offered to patients, and pharmacy service performance. Almost 50 (92.6%) community pharmacists in United States reported that they dispensed more than 100 prescriptions in 1 day during the study period. In contrast, in Japan, community pharmacists (55.2%) dispensed 10 to 50 prescriptions during the same period. Half of the pharmacists in Japan either strongly agreed or agreed that they lack sufficient interpersonal and management skills. And many pharmacists agreed that lack of appropriate knowledge and insufficient training before graduation are major barriers to optimized pharmacy services in Japan. These findings can be used to promote discussion between Japanese pharmacists and stakeholders about pharmacy education programs in Japan and the future role of the community pharmacists in patient care in Japan.

Pharmaceutical stability of colloidal saccharated iron oxide injection in normal saline.

BACKGROUND: Colloidal saccharated iron oxide injection is used for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in patients with a poor oral intake. Because of the poor stability of the colloid particle, there have been concerns regarding its compatibility with various injections in clinical practice. To assess the stability of colloidal saccharated iron oxide in normal saline as a diluent, pharmaceutical stability analyses were conducted using various concentrations of glucose and sodium chloride (NaCl). METHODS: Colloidal saccharated iron oxide injection was diluted in three different diluents (5% glucose solution, normal saline, and 10% NaCl solution), and its appearance, colloid particle diameter, and pH were assessed. Free iron ions, which cause adverse effects, such as nausea and vomiting, were separated from the colloid particle using a dialysis membrane for 24 h, and their concentration was determined. RESULTS: No difference in the appearance, colloid diameter, and free iron ion fraction was observed after dilution in 5% glucose solution and normal saline. Conversely, an increased colloid aggregation and iron ion release were observed after dilution in 10% NaCl solution. Although iron colloid is unstable in acidic conditions (pH 4.0-6.0), normal diluents such as 5% glucose and normal saline did not cause colloid destabilization by pH change (pH > 8.0). CONCLUSION: Normal saline may be used as a diluent of colloidal saccharated iron oxide injection as well as glucose solution, which is recommended by the pharmaceutical company. Therefore, normal saline can be used as a diluent of colloidal saccharated iron oxide injection in patients with an underlying disease, such as diabetes mellitus, who are difficult to use glucose solution as a diluent.