Based on your e-mails and phone calls, the Senate HHS committee not only heard your voice but took decisive action as well. Our priority bill, HB233, was unanimously approved by the committee late yesterday afternoon! Next stop is the Senate rules committee and then hopefully the floor.

And even better: Shortly before the committee’s vote we learned that HB323 cleared the rules committee and will be headed to the full Senate for vote.

All in all, a pretty incredible day — but the battle is not won until the bills are signed into law by the governor, so we can’t rest yet.

As soon as possible today, please:

• Reach out to your state senators and again ask them to support HB233 and HB323 when they come to the floor for vote. HB323 could come to the floor as early as today!
• Reach out to the HHS committee members listed below and thank them for their positive vote and support of HB233.

As a reminder:

§ HB 323 restricts PBM and insurer patient “steering,” strengthens anti-mandatory mail order, adds audit protections, prohibits PBMs from making knowing misrepresentations, and restricts patient data mining.

§ HB 233 is a companion bill that prohibits pharmacies from profiting off self-dealt prescriptions “steered” from their PBM and insurance affiliates.

If you don’t know who your state senator is, you can locate him or her at openstates.org.

As always, we greatly appreciate your help! It is important and is working! Your voice is being heard.

—Bob Coleman, CEO

What can brown do for you?

Give you a vaccination, maybe. UPS is looking to get into the healthcare delivery business.

Mercer brings shade to sandcastle contest

Mercer University is the first student pharmacy group to sign up for the Pharm-a-Sea sandcastle contest at the Georgia Pharmacy Convention! After a trip to Family Dollar for supplies, rumor has it the team captain said, “This is gonna be a cakewalk. It’s not like UGA or PCOM will be any real competition. We’ll have to keep our eye on South, though.”

We really can’t beat the Guardian’s headline

“Why patients are no longer pooh-poohing faecal transplants”

For those with hard to treat C. diff infections, a fecal transplant can offer a near-instantaneous cure.

Opioid crisis: the third wave

In the beginning, there were prescription opioids. When we cracked down, the epidemic became heroin. And now is the third wave: fentanyl.

[T]he records revealed that more than 36,000 Americans died with fentanyl in their systems during the study period [2011–2016]. The majority of those deaths — 18,335 — occurred in 2016 alone.

Yes, that’s right: In 2016 alone, fentanyl overdoses killed at least 18,335 Americans.

For comparison, that’s more than were killed in the worst year of the Vietnam War, 1968, when 16,899 American servicemen were killed in action.

Help prevent opioid abuse in seniors

A lot of older folks may not understand the severity of opioid misuse. Learn how to help them understand with a free webinar, “Improving Older Adults’ Health Literacy to Prevent Opioid Misuse.”

It’s presented by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and it’s being held March 28 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. Click here for more info and to sign up.

At least I don’t look like them

“Eating Breakfast with Parents Tied to Better Body Image for Kids”

A science story that isn’t about pharma but is still interesting

“Robots enable bees and fish to talk to each other” — clearly a project by scientists who have never seen a single sci-fi horror movie. Seriously, read the first graf*:

Through an imaginative experiment, researchers were able to get two extremely different animal species located far apart to interact with each other and reach a shared decision with the help of robots.

* Journalist speak. Let it go.

Elsewhere/The Long Read: Healthcare in Finland

Finland often tops the list of ‘best’ countries — happiest people, most freedom, longest lifespan, best education, yada yada yada* … including best healthcare. So “What It’s Like to Live in the Country Where Giving Birth Costs $60?”

* Yes, Norway, you’re always up there too. Stay calm.