Updates from FDA

Patient demand for tooth whitening has been on the increase for several years, bolstered by the availability of a wide variety of nonprescription whitening toothpastes and strips.

Mary Warner

Results of a recent trial published in the July 13, 2023, issue of NEJM found men 45 to 80 years old who took testosterone-replacement therapy were unlikely to experience an increased risk of major adverse cardiac events when compared to placebo.

Clarissa Chan, PharmD

This past June, FDA approved the first new class of medicines to treat pediatric T2D since 2000. Previously limited to metformin, children 10 years or older with T2D now have another treatment
option that can be used in addition to diet and exercise to improve blood glucose control.

Lauren Howell, PharmD

PrEP for HIV has made a significant impact in HIV prevention over the last decade. Since the combination of antiretrovirals tenofovir and emtricitabine (Truvada) earned FDA approval for the prevention of HIV in 2012, uptake among those for whom it is recommended has risen by an estimated 56% each year, according to data from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. But major gaps remain between the number of people who could benefit from PrEP and the number who take it.

Sonya Collins

ACIP gathered to discuss several vaccine recommendations in June 2023. As a result of the meeting, recommendations surrounding the influenza virus vaccine, adult respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, polio virus vaccine, and pneumococcal vaccine for children, among others, were all updated.

Lauren Howell, PharmD

Could point of care testing (POCT) services become as common as immunization services in pharmacies? Megan Smith, PharmD, lead author of a new study in JAPhA, thinks so.

Loren Bonner

Health benefits of the herpes zoster vaccine are well-documented, but lesser known are the economic impacts of a community pharmacy–based herpes zoster vaccination service in the United States.

Jonathan Little, PharmD

Approximately 1 billion cases of the common cold occur annually, making it one of the top five illnesses diagnosed in the United States. Bothersome symptoms lead patients to self-medicate, with an estimated $8 billion spent annually on nonprescription cold and cough products.

Pharmacies in some areas face challenges recruiting pharmacists to staff their practice sites. As an incentive for pharmacists to accept employment, pharmacies may offer a signing bonus.

David B. Brushwood, BSPharm, JD