July 2009 — Over-the-Counter Products

Epocrates always appreciates the requests and suggestions we receive from our customers. Many of you have campaigned for more OTC content and now...

We are thrilled to announce that a new Epocrates OTC drug module is available with all of our premium mobile subscription products!*

Get more information in What’s New with Epocrates.

*Available with Epocrates Rx Pro®, Epocrates® Essentials, and Epocrates® Essentials Deluxe mobile software. Already subscribe to a premium mobile product? There’s no additional cost to get OTCs; just review download instructions in Tech Talk below.

Also in this issue:

Reaching for OTC Relief

By Anne Meneghetti, MD, Director of Clinical Communications

Sometimes it’s the little things that matter to patients most.  A woman on a business trip calls to ask, in between sneezes, which allergy medicine will not raise her blood pressure or her blood sugar.  A coughing child who spits out any medicine that is not grape flavored keeps an entire family awake at night.  A man on a fixed income wonders if there is an over-the-counter heartburn medication that is less expensive than his current monthly prescription co-pay.

FDA MedWatch Safety Alerts

Smoking Cessation Aids:  New FDA Warning Highlights Risk of Serious Neuropsychiatric Symptoms
Intranasal Zinc Products Sold Over-the-Counter: Reports of Permanent Loss of Smell 
FDA Reviewing Safety on Insulin Glargine Regarding Possible Risk of Cancer in Patients With Diabetes
Stimulant Medications in Children With Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder

E. coli O157:H7 Reported in Prepackaged Refrigerated Cookie Dough

Epocrates OTC Drug Module

Questions about OTCs? Reach for Epocrates! With access to the latest information on hundreds of brand name over-the-counter drugs, you’ll quickly find effective OTC treatments for your patients. Each product-specific monograph answers questions such as:

• What's the dose for my patient’s age?
• What flavors are available?
• Does the product contain alcohol, sugar, or dyes?
• Is there another product with the same active ingredients, but in a chewable or liquid form?
• Is this product covered by my patient’s health insurance?

It’s available with any of our premium products. Choose your platform and pick the one that’s right for you!

Already subscribe to a premium product? There’s no additional cost to get OTCs, just review download instructions in Tech Talk below

Venous Thromboembolism Mobile Resource Center

Download this FREE handheld resource to stay current with the most significant clinical news and research in venous thromboembolism. The articles are carefully selected and commented upon by Kenneth A. Bauer, MD, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of Thrombosis Clinical Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

Mobile Resource Centers are also available for many other diseases/conditions such as Lung Cancer, Pain Management, Allergy & Asthma, Diabetes, and ADHD.

Mobile Resources Centers are available on Windows Mobile (Pocket PC) and Palm OS.

GFR Calculator

Now available for Windows Mobile and Palm, this handy tool provides easy-to-use GFR calculators for the MDRD, Abbreviated MDRD, and Cockcroft-Gault methods. In addition, based on calculated results, the application describes the chronic kidney disease stage and recommended action based on practice guidelines from the National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF KDOQI™).

Download for FREE »

Updates at a Glance

New Disease and Condition Topics Available* Infertility in women Infertility, male factor MRSA Urinary Tract Infections in Children Osteoporotic spinal compression fractures Urticaria and Angioedema Cirrhosis Generalized Seizures in Children End-of-life care Bradycardia Ovarian Cyst Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Tapeworm infection Familial Adenomatous Polyposis Tic Disorders Tetanus infection Acquired torticollis Shock Retinoblastoma *This disease information can be found in Epocrates Online, Epocrates Online Premium or Epocrates Essentials for the iPhone.	New Drugs BabyBIG (botulism immune globulin (human)) Besivance (besifloxacin) Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA) Edluar (zolpidem) HepaGam B (hepatitis B immune globulin (human)) HyperHEP B S/D (hepatitis B immune globulin (human)) Idamycin PFS (idarubicin) idarubicin (idarubicin) Nabi-HB (hepatitis B immune globulin (human)) Nucynta (tapentadol) Simponi (golimumab) thiotepa (thiotepa) Vimpat ((lacosamide)	MobileCME® Headlines Reducing Residual Cardiovascular Risk Incretin Therapies: Type 2 Diabetes Management JW: Patient Factors in Myocardial Infarction Outcomes New Formularies Travis AFB Pharmacy (CA)
How to Get these Updates Mobile: Update (sync) your device regularly to download free updates, including new drug monographs and MobileCME activities. If you don't have MobileCME, download it here. Add new formularies to your profile in My Account.   Online: Log in to Epocrates Online for continually updated drug information and disease content. Select new formularies in the DRUGS tab.

Instructions to Download OTCs for Premium Subscribers

Palm and Windows Mobile

• Sync your device.
• Need help syncing? Go here.

• Go to http://get.epocrates.com on your phone.
• You will come to a screen that reads, "To begin installation of Epocrates select the button below.” Click on the “Install Now” button.
• Select “Download” on the next screen.
• Once the download is complete, enter your username and password to finish the installation.

• Go to your iPhone/iPod touch Home screen and access the App Store
• Tap the “Update” tab
• Look for Epocrates, select the application and update
• Tap the Epocrates icon
• Tap the “More” tab followed by “Updates”
• Tap “Get Epocrates Updates”

"More and more, previously prescription-only drugs have moved to the Over-the-Counter classification. Epocrates’ OTC content now becomes invaluable in providing critical data on drug interactions with prescription medications. Thanks Epocrates for making my patients safer and my job easier."
- Dr. Mark Wilson

We always love to hear from our members about Epocrates products, or any other topics. This month, we’re particularly interested to know if your group practice or institution predominantly uses Blackberry or iPhone devices? If so, you could be profiled in the news, or online. Email pr@epocrates.com to learn more.