Be careful

There was a six-hour burglary spree of pharmacies in the Atlanta area (Dacula, Duluth, Decatur, Buford), and the criminals are still at large. “Police fear the burglary spree will continue across metro Atlanta until the suspects are caught.”

Authorities released these helpful images:

Flu season is here: Be ready to immunize!

This flu season is probably gonna be a doozy. Australia (which gets it first) called it “particularly unusual,” “off the charts,” and a “horror season.”

Now is when you need your APhA immunization certificate. It means you’re giving your patients the best possible advice and treatment, and it helps you differentiate yourself.

GPhA is offering “APhA’s Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery: A Certificate Program for Pharmacists” on Sunday, December 8, from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the GPhA classroom (6065 Barfield Road, Sandy Springs [map]).

This is always one of our hottest courses, so get to GPhA.org/2019immunization fast before the class fills!

And don’t forget to check out all of GPhA’s CPEasy on-demand courses at GPhA.org/cpeasy!

An interesting twist on the ‘gateway drug’ argument

A Harvard doc did the research, and says that, “the rate of opiate prescriptions is lower in states where medical marijuana laws have been passed.”

Meanwhile, a study from the University of British Columbia found that people who use cannabis daily are less likely to use illegal opioids.

They found that daily cannabis use was associated with significantly lower odds of daily illicit opioid use, suggesting people are replacing opioids with cannabis to manage their pain.

Torrent in the crosshairs … again

Back in August, the FDA placed much of the blame on the tainted supply of ARB blood pressure meds on Torrent Pharmaceuticals; the company’s plant in India had “unacceptable levels of NDMA and other suspected carcinogens.”

Now the agency is pointing its finger at the company again — this time for a Pennsylvania plant with a poorly designed water system. It seems those pipes had enough dead ends (think: stagnant water) and poor fittings that it allowed the growth of enough Burkholderia cepacia bacteria to contaminate “over-the-counter cough syrups, nasal sprays and rectal suppositories.”

And then, twisting the knife a little further, the FDA also cited Torrent for making and selling unapproved and misbranded drugs.

Ketamine: limited side effects

Ketamine continues to be investigated as a possible game-changing antidepressant. A single dose of the drug has virtually immediate benefit, making it useful for situations where time is critical, such as a potential suicide.

The latest study looks at ketamine’s side effects. It found that, while there were certainly symptoms present (most common: “feeling loopy”), “none of these effects lasted for more than 4 hours” and there were no serious effects three months after the single dose.

Juul suits

New York and California have joined North Carolina in suing Juul over the company’s marketing its nicotine pods to teenagers. That is all.

While we’re on the subject….

Although Donald Trump changed his mind after promising to ban flavored e-cigarettes, the American Medical Association has called for a complete ban on vaping products citing the prevalence of teen use — and nicotine addiction.

Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Washington, as well as Los Angeles and San Francisco have all banned or are in the process of banning* flavored vaping products.

* In some cases there are court challenges

The Long Read: Rural Georgia’s HIV problem

“Georgia’s HIV problem hitting rural areas hard” from Georgia Health News.

The South has a number of factors leading to these statistics. They include lower health literacy and a lack of access to care and to preventive services, [Aaron Siegler, associate professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health] says. “It’s harder to get access to a culturally competent provider’’ in this region, especially in rural areas, he adds.