System and methods for pharmacy management of drugs

Abstract

Described herein is a computer program product for pharmacy management and its application for using drugs that are P-glycoprotein or CYP3A4 inhibitors. Also included is a method of using a first drug in a patient receiving a prescription for the first drug. The computer program performs a method including issuing a drug-drug interaction alert when a patient is receiving a first drug and a concomitantly administered second drug.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for using a first drug, comprising:
 a pharmacy receiving a prescription for the first drug for a patient who is concomitantly being treated with a second drug, and   the pharmacy dispensing the first drug in response to receipt of the prescription, wherein the dispensing is preceded by:
 entering, into a computer program, a unique patient identifier for said patient and a first drug identifier for the first drug linked to the patient identifier so as to indicate that the first drug is to be administered to the patient, wherein responsive to the entering the computer program performs a method comprising:
 issuing a drug-drug interaction alert when a) the first drug identifier for the first drug is entered linked to the patient identifier so as to indicate that the first drug is to be administered to the patient and b) when the patient identifier is also linked to a second drug identifier indicating that the second drug is being concomitantly administered to the patient, wherein the drug-drug interaction alert indicates that the second drug is being concomitantly administered to the patient, 
 reviewing the patient's first drug dosing regimen prior to the first drug being dispensed, and 
 adjusting the patient's first drug dosing regimen responsive to the drug-drug interaction alert, so that the first drug is to be dispensed along with instructions for the first drug to be taken in accordance with an adjusted first drug dosing regimen, 
 
   wherein the first drug is a substrate for both CYP 3A4 and P-glycoprotein, and   wherein the second drug is a CYP3A4 or P-glycoprotein inhibitor.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the drug-drug interaction alert is issued as one or both of:
 a written warning on a display screen of the pharmacy management computer system, and   a printed warning attached to or packaged with the dispensed prescription.