 | Kent Richardson graduated from the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy in 1972. Kent has owned and operated Richardson's Pharmacy, a retail independent pharmacy, and Richardson's Medical, a Durable Medical Equipment and Oxygen company in Wichita, KS since 1973. He also owns Custom Rx, Inc., a compounding only pharmacy in Wichita, KS. Since 1988, Kent has served on the Board of Directors of PACE Alliance, the largest retail pharmacy-buying group in the United States, and is currently Vice Chairman of that organization. He has also served as President and Chairman of the American College of Apothecaries, an international professional association of pharmacists, and has served on their Board of Directors for 14 years. Kent holds memberships in the National Community Pharmacists Association, American Pharmaceutical Association and the Kansas Pharmacy Association and has served and is still serving on various committees for these organizations. His employment history includes serving as Marketing Director for a regional Prescription Benefit Management Company (PBM) for twelve years. For the last seven years he has been instrumental in the development of Right Choice Pharmacy, a totally unique concept in the cost-effective provision of maintenance prescriptions via community pharmacies. You can reach Kent Richardson at Richardson's Custom Rx Pharmacy (316) 721-2626 located at 3510 N. Ridge Rd. in Wichita, or visit their website at www.customrx.net |
Pharmaceuticals
2005-07-01 12:17:00
Pill-splitting requires accuracy
: Why is pill splitting getting so much news?
ANSWER: Despite garnering a lot of attention recently, pill splitting is not new. What is new is the way insurance companies are treating it. Several large insurers are offering to cut a patient’s co-payment in half if patients will cut their pills in half. In fact, United Healthcare is even giving away pill-splitters to encourage the practice.QUESTION: Does the patient benefit?ANSWER: On the surface, this seems like a winning proposition for the patient – have a doctor prescribe a double-strength dosage, then cut the pill in half and save 50% on the cost. But the practice has drawn a lot of criticism – both from drug manufacturers and health care professionals. It is easy to understand the motivation of the drug manufacturers – profit. With a flat pricing scheme – meaning that, for example, a 20 mg dosage is priced the same or very similar to a higher 40 mg or 80 mg dosage – the drug manufacturer is receiving only half of the revenue. Health care professionals, on the other hand, are not concerned about profits, but about the safety of the practice.QUESTION: Why are health care professionals concerned?ANSWER: Some medications will not work as intended if split in half – those with enteric coatings, extended-release formulations, a narrow therapeutic window, or a short half-life-to-dosing ratio. However, other medications are just as effective when taken as a whole tablet or if a higher dosage is split in half. It is essential that you consult your doctor and pharmacist when considering splitting any medications.QUESTION: How should I split my pills?ANSWER: The most common objection to pill splitting is the inaccuracy of it. Study after study has shown that tablets split with razors, knives, or even special consumer operated tablet splitters are not uniform and often fail uniformity tests. The result is inconsistency in the half-tablets – for example, you may get 60% of the whole tablet in one half-tablet and 30% of the whole tablet in the other half-tablet, with the remainder being lost to crumbling. Again, it is very important to consult with your doctor and pharmacist to determine if your therapy will be adversely affected by such variations in your dosing.QUESTION: Are any devices available that can split pills more precisely?ANSWER: One local company is using computerized, state-of-the-art equipment that splits Lipitor® 80mg tablets into 10mg or 20mg fragments that pass the United States Pharmacopoeia guidelines for whole tablets. This is far more precise than a typical hand operated pill splitter that can only cut a pill in half... that splits Lipitor® tablets.
