Governor set to sign HB233 and HB323 today

Yesterday afternoon we were notified that Governor Kemp will sign both HB233 and HB323 this afternoon! (HB233 represents landmark legislation, prohibiting PBM steering; HB323 strengthens portions of the Patient Protection Act passed in 2017.)

Thank you to all GPhA members who took the time to write or call the governor’s office. The PBMs lobbied hard for a gubernatorial veto, but those messages from you made the difference.

We look forward to celebrating these hard fought victories with you in June during at the Georgia Pharmacy Convention!

New commissioner, new standing order

Remember, you can give naloxone without a prescription, but you need the DPH commissioner’s standing order on hand. With Kathleen Toomey taking over that position, the standing order has been updated.

You can grab the latest version at GPhA.org/naloxone.

Sunscreen in the blood

Sunscreen makers: Our products aren’t absorbed into the bloodstream, so we don’t need FDA oversight.

FDA: Really? Let’s test that.

The results, published in the journal JAMA, show that contrary to what sunscreen manufacturers have been saying, UV-blocking chemicals do seep into circulation.

“Everyone had always thought that because these are intended to work on the surface of the skin that they wouldn’t be absorbed, but they are,” said Theresa Michele, director of the FDA’s division of nonprescription drug products.

This doesn’t mean the chemicals are safe or unsafe — just that they get into the blood and thus testing needs to be done now. Don’t worry: The FDA has asked the sunscreen makers themselves to test how much of the ingredients (avobenzone, ecamsule, octocrylene, and oxybenzone) are absorbed into the bloodstream, and to prove they’re safe.

Unusual side effect

Teen girls who take oral contraceptives are less likely to suffer from … ACL tears? Apparently so, according to a study out of Brown University.

OCPs [oral contraceptive pills] have a protective effect on ACL tear, especially in the 15–19 age group, which exhibited a 63% reduction in the rate of tear. Consideration should be given to prescribing OCPs to younger athletes, after careful assessment of the risks of these commonly prescribed medications.

CVS adding dental care — sort of

The chain is putting the SmileDirectClub teeth-straightening service into hundreds of its stores.

Permanent resident

Probiotics can do a lot of good for gut bacteria, but one “bad” actor it can’t get rid of: Helicobacter pylori. Once it’s in … well, it’s staying in.

The stomach-dwelling bacteria Helicobacter pylori survives in the stomach—a hellish, churning vat of hydrochloric acid—by holing up inside that organ’s pitlike glands and establishing squatter’s rights. Once the germ has set up shop, the investigators learned, even competing strains of the same species can’t displace it, or even share its hideout.

* Not really bad, of course. It just does what it does.

Preventable

Ebola continues to spread in Congo, in large part due to fear and misinformation among the people there, causing many to shun modern medicine.

In a completely unrelated story, the U.S. measles outbreak added at least 60 more cases in the last few days; it’s already the largest outbreak in a quarter century. “Two overlapping groups have suffered the most this year: children under age 4 and people who were unvaccinated.”

In Europe, more than 34,000 people have contracted the preventable disease, prompting the WHO to issue a plea for vaccinations.

Headline shocker

“Diet blogs often fail to provide accurate information, references”

Elsewhere: I didn’t know they could do that

“Pharmacy student launches startup for medical marijuana patients“