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Chain Drugstore Daily Sunday, August 20, 2017 3 8 EQUIPP PLATFORM PROVIDES KEY INFORMATION EQuIPP, the web based platform pro- vided by PQS (Pharmacy Quality Solutions) provides consistent, reliable, unbiased benchmark measurement and reporting on key medication manage- ment and use quality measures. These measures include those addressing medication adherence, gap in care, appropriate use of therapy, patient safe- ty and others. The information is pro- vided in an easily understandable and detailed platform. With more than 82 million prescrip- tions reviewed each month (more than 60 percent of all Medicare patients), EQuIPP provides pharmacists with the ability to track their own patients across multiple quality measurements and across multiple pharmacies. One of the key features is the capability to attribute refills to a home pharmacy (where the patient fills the majority of their prescrip- tions) regardless where the prescription is filled. This allows the pharmacist to review patient medication taking holisti- cally versus just a snapshot of care at their pharmacy. As an example, a patient uses their home pharmacy and then fills a pre- scription at a different pharmacy (either part of the chain or outside of the chain) because they are trav- eling and needed a refill. The home pharmacy will be credited with this fill and they can determine that their patient is staying adherent to thera- py, or if they do not fill the script, know when they begin to become non-adher- ent. In addition, EQuIPP provides infor- mation on the actual level of adherence (proportion of days covered – PDC) of an individual patient. This helps to understand the level of the patient's non-adherence and to determine the specific barriers the patient faces. EQuIPP provides individual patient information based on prescrip- tion claims data that allows pharmacist to select and tailor the most appropriate adherence program. While the focus is on these patients considered out- liers, it is just as important to keep patients who are adherent today on course. PQS partners with many chain phar- macies to help both corporate and store pharmacists understand how what they do impacts patient care and quality per- formance. Pharmacists impact millions of patients daily and PQS helps to identi- fy the performance of the profession. Visit Pharmacy Quality Solutions at booth #2515. ASCEND PROMOTES NEW ITEM LAUNCH AND SALES EXECUTIVE Ascend Labs is pleased to announce both a new product launch and the promotion of one of its sales executives. On the product side, Ascend has received its first approval from its recent- ly acquired St. Louis manufacturing facility. Ascend acquired the facility just a few short years back from Long Pharma. Prior to Long, the facility was used by Fleming Pharmaceuticals. Ascend has invested significantly in this new U.S. manufacturing site, and the recent approval and launch of Lidocaine Ointment marks the first product that will be marketed by Ascend from this site. Ascend has launched the 35.44gm size and has plans to launch the 50gm as well shortly. The Lidocaine 35.44gm is avail- able for shipment now. While Lidocaine represents the first approval from St. Louis, Ascend has sig- nificant plans for its new facility, includ- ing many DEA items on which it will use its own API from its U.S. facility located in Azusa, California. Ascend believes con- trolling both the API and manufacturing will create efficiencies that will stream- line the supply chain. Additional approvals from St. Louis are expected on both DEA and non DEA items. On the personnel side, Ascend is pleased to announce the promotion of Kylan Fowles to the position of Senior Director of National Accounts. Kylan joined Ascend a little over two years ago and since then has used her energy, deter- mination and persistence to become an important part of the Ascend team. Kylan personifies the hard working, ethical and customer focused employee that Ascend looks to develop, and her engaging personality has won the respect of both coworkers and customers. The company invites all who interact with her to congratulate Kylan on this well-deserved promotion and looks for- ward to many prosperous years of growth at Ascend with Kylan's help. Visit Ascend Labs at booth #3930. FERNDALE LAUNCHES DERMEND MATURE SKIN SOLUTIONS LINE Millions of Americans have mature skin, yet skincare products outside of the anti- aging category are limited. Seniors require products that help maintain the health of their skin, and their needs are unique. Ferndale Healthcare, Inc. introduces the new DerMend ® Mature Skin Solutions line. DerMend offers products developed with dermatologists specifi- cally for the skin conditions we experi- ence as we get older. As we age, our skin loses its resilience both above and below the surface, causing changes in its appearance and structure. The DerMend line of products contains unique formulas to help restore, rejuvenate and maintain mature skin's health and a more youthful appearance. New products launched in 2017 with a robust pipeline in future years. Many customers with mature skin experience chronic bruising, itchy skin or thinning, fragile skin, and until recently, there haven't been many products to help them address these issues. Working with dermatol- ogists, DerMend Mature Skin Solutions were developed specifically for these concerns and are formulated with ingre- dients considered beneficial for aging skin. The first product in the Mature Skin Solutions line is DerMend Moisturizing Bruise Formula, which launched in 2013 in first aid, and has become a popular prod- uct for seniors with chronic bruising. Based on the success of this product and the positive response from both der- matologists and cus- tomers, two new products have been added to the line to address additional needs that seniors face. The most common skin complaint for mature skin is itch. Itching can have a serious impact on quality of life and can lead to problems like sleep depri- vation. Unlike the acute skin conditions that cause itch, many seniors have no rash or identifying cause for itching, and they need a way to provide gentle relief without the use and negative effects of steroids. DerMend Moisturizing Anti-Itch Lotion is now available to help alleviate discomfort from itch and minimize its impact on seniors' lives. As we age, our skin becomes more thin and fragile. This is often most appar- ent on areas of the body with chronic sun-exposure (i.e. hands, chest, arms and legs). The new DerMend Fragile Skin Moisturizing Formula addresses mature skin fragility and is now available nation- wide. The formulation was designed specifically for senior skin with hyaluronic acid, retinol and glycolic acid, all in a moisturizing ceramide base. DerMend Mature Skin Solutions products are available in the first aid sec- tion at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Rite Aid and other fine retailers. Visit Ferndale Healthcare at booth #3940. For more information, go to www.dermend.com or www.ferndale healthcare.com.