CBD & cannabis: The basics

Rachel Balick, Loren Bonner, and Leah Sera, PharmD, MA, BCPS

Though both Republicans and Democrats have named high drug prices as policy priorities, hyperpartisanship in what’s sure to be a brutal election year could mean continued gridlock: Both parties are loath to give their opponents successes to tout on the campaign trail.

Rachel Balick

A West Virginia pharmacy received an Immediate Suspension Order (ISO) from DEA, abruptly suspending the pharmacy’s registration to dispense controlled substances.

David B. Brushwood, BSPharm, JD

With National Poison Prevention Week coming up March 15–21, 2020, pharmacists have a chance to properly display and hand out those familiar 800-222-1222 poison control help line stickers. But there are more ways—besides the sticker—for pharmacists to engage with poison control.

Loren Bonner

Over the past 5 years, states have adopted pharmacy-based naloxone laws at rapid-fire pace, allowing pharmacists to dispense the opioid overdose antidote without a prescription.

Loren Bonner

Suicide rates in the United States are increasing among males and females, yet community pharmacists who regularly see and provide medications to those suffering with mental health conditions remain an untapped resource for risk reduction efforts, according to a commentary published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine in November 2019.

Charnicia Huggins, PharmD

Updates from FDA

The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) jointly released a set of performance and quality measures for adults with high blood pressure that closely align with AHA/ACC’s blood pressure guidelines published in late 2017.

Loren Bonner

All pharmacists know that for many conditions, medication isn’t enough. True management of chronic diseases takes a 360° approach that includes exercise, smoking cessation, and—unavoidably—nutrition.

Rachel Balick

Cough—a symptom of diverse infectious and noninfectious disorders that is classified as acute (<3 weeks), subacute (3–8 weeks), or chronic (>8 weeks)—is an important defensive respiratory reflex with potentially significant adverse physical and psychological consequences and economic impact.

Daniel L. Krinsky, RPh, MS

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, with approximately 99% contained in the bones and teeth and the rest in extracellular fluid, intracellular structures, and cell membranes.

Mary Warner

More than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the United States each year, with an estimated 35,000 Americans dying of these infections annually, according to CDC’s 2019 report on antibiotic resistance threats.

Maria G. Tanzi, PharmD

In late October 2019, FDA approved elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor (Trikafta—Vertex Pharmaceuticals), the first triple-combination therapy to treat patients ages 12 years and older with at least one F508del mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, which is estimated to represent 90% of the cystic fibrosis (CF) population.

Cara Aldridge Young

Cancer. The diagnosis is terrifying and is often viewed as a death sentence. Most people valiantly fight against this disease, and some prevail.

Joey Sweeney, PharmD, BCPS

Heart failure (HF)–exacerbating medications are commonly used in older adults hospitalized for HF and are often continued or even initiated after hospitalization, according to the results of an observational study published on November 8, 2019, in Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Maria G. Tanzi, PharmDMaria G. Tanzi, PharmDMaria G. Tanzi, PharmDMaria G. Tanzi, PharmD

A recent event of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) by proxy—a term used to describe conditions under which someone other than the patient administers one or more doses of an opioid to the patient using the PCA device—has prompted a review of the safeguards needed to prevent these types of events.

Maria Tanzi, PharmD

In October 2019, FDA approved rivaroxaban (Xarelto—Janssen) for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in acutely ill hospitalized patients at risk of forming blood clots but not at high risk of bleeding.

Aina Abell

Trending Topics in Health-System Pharmacy

Recently, significant concern has been expressed about the state of the health care workforce. The psychological and emotional well-being of health professionals—including pharmacists—is integral to the success of health care systems. In situations in which health professionals experience feelings of demoralization, hopelessness, or indifference, there are real-world consequences for patient safety, interprofessional collaboration, and delivery of care. 

Zubin Austin, BScPhm, MBA, MISc, PhD, FCAHS

APhA Member News

Take the Crossword Challenge

“Elena” had just learned she had type 2 diabetes when Jennifer Rodis, PharmD, met her at University Health Connection, a primary care clinic for Ohio State University (OSU) employees.

Sonya Collins