Over the past year and a half, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the lives of people across the globe. Pharmacists have worked to meet the increasing needs of their communities during this time, and they have been recognized as vital frontline health care workers.

Johanna Taylor Katroscik, PharmD

Many hospitalized COVID-19 patients have requested ivermectin to treat their condition, and some patients have sought an injunction to legally force their hospital to obtain and administer the drug.

David B. Brushwood, BSPharm, JD

In a year when we learned to expect the unexpected, the U.S. Coast Guard motto—”Always Ready”—served CAPT Paul Michaud, PharmD, and his pharmacy team well.

Laurrie Lorenzo, PharmD

Use of cannabis for medical reasons has increased in recent years, with many patients receiving information on appropriate use from personnel working at a medical cannabis dispensary.

Maria G. Tanzi, PharmD

People with disabilities experience significant barriers when accessing medications and even basic health care. While this is nothing new for those living with a disability, the pandemic has brought many of these challenges to light.

Loren Bonner

This year has seen the approval of 2 new biosimilar drugs, including the first biosimilar to earn FDA’s “interchangeable” designation.

Sonya Collins

Updates from FDA

Results of a September 2021 study by Howard and colleagues published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology show that, in patients with a history of stopping statin therapy due to intolerable adverse effects, a similar amount of adverse effects were observed whether patients were rechallenged with a statin or were taking a placebo.

Maria G. Tanzi, PharmD

The DEA is alerting the public to the dangers of counterfeit medications containing the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl.

Loren Bonner

According to CDC, people most often cite pain management as their reason for using medical cannabis in the United States.

Clarissa Chan, PharmD

A CDC evaluation found that 66% of participants in a pharmacistled hypertension program—the University of Michigan Health Hypertension Pharmacists’ Program—achieved blood pressure control within 3 months of starting the program, compared to only 42% of non-participants.

Olivia Welter, PharmD

According to a 2021 article published in Gastroenterology by O’Connor and colleagues, approximately 1 in 20 people in the United States are using a prebiotic, probiotic, or synbiotic supplement.

Johanna Taylor Katroscik

This time of year, with all the less-than-healthy eating opportunities, heartburn and dyspepsia (indigestion) will be more prevalent—as will opportunities to help our patients.

Daniel L. Krinsky, RPh, MS

Trending Topics in Health-System Pharmacy

As the shift toward value-based payment models continues, there are new ways for pharmacists to improve patient care in medical homes, accountable care organizations, and other innovative care models.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention—an adage that has been borne out in the pandemic. While the hospital-at-home model was not invented during the pandemic, COVID-19 has prompted health care facilities to launch programs that may have been in the works for years.

Sonya Collins

You are exhausted and, frankly, you—like so many other health care providers right now—have no more energy to care. Could this be “empathy fatigue?”

Loren Bonner

Opioid use, while appropriate in many cases, may be associated with increased morbidity and mortality from infection, suggests a study published in Pharmacotherapy from June 2021.

Joey Sweeney, PharmD, BCPS

As a beneficial treatment for COVID-19, remdesivir (Veklury–Gilead Sciences) was rapidly introduced to market through FDA’s emergency use authorization in May 2020 with little known about its adverse effects.

Corey Diamond, PharmD

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