DIY hand sanitizer: The FDA speaks

We mentioned this on Tuesday but it bears reiterating: Yes, you can make (i.e., compound) your own hand sanitizer for your patients and customers. The FDA has relaxed the rules.

There is a specific recipe the agency wants you to use; see below or click here. There are other requirements/recommendations as well, including labeling — check that page.

Good luck with that

The WHO has published guidelines for protecting your mental health these days.

We love #3: “Minimize watching, reading or listening to news that causes you to feel anxious or distressed.”

Significant COPD combo treatment

A trial involving 10,000 COPD patients over a year found that an inhaler with a combination of fluticasone furoate (FF), umeclidinium, and vilanterol “reduced all-cause mortality by 42 percent.”

Reality Check: ibuprofen and cortisone

The French minister of health tweeted that people with CoviD-19 should not take ibuprofen. That has led to lots of confusion and misinformation.

Reality:

  • The coronavirus uses ACE2 receptors to infect cells.
  • Certain drugs, including ibuprofen and cortisone, increase the number of ACE2 receptors.
  • Thus, in theory, patients taking those drugs, might be more vulnerable to the virus.
  • In theory. In theory. There is no research, just some dots that may eventually be connected.

Bottom line (as of this moment): If you have symptoms, sure, take acetaminophen instead of an NSAID if that makes you feel more comfortable. But there is no evidence that you need to avoid ibuprofen.

Shout-out to Will Crowley

GPhA member and owner of Crowley Drug Company in Calhoun got a great write-up in the Calhoun Times as he’s about to celebrate his fifth year as an independent pharmacist. Congrats, Will!

Reusing masks

Yes, you can reuse N95 masks. But be careful — it’s certainly not optimal. Here are the CDC recommendations. (Spoiler: use disposable gloves before putting it on or removing it. When removed, assume the outside is infected and don’t touch it; store it carefully.)

Screening, yes. Testing, eventually

South Georgia Medical Center is offering drive-through CoviD-19 screenings. The operative word is “screening,” not testing.

You sit in your car and are assessed — e.g., answer questions, get your temperature, pulse, and blood-ox taken. If you fit the criteria, a physician will test for other viruses like the flu.

If those come back negative, then they’ll be sent to an offsite lab for testing for CoviD-19, where the results can take several days.

Rite-Aid to quit tobacco, expand techs’ role

The company’s COO said “Tobacco will not be part of the [Rite Aid] store of the future” in a call with analysts. The company is also planning a $700 million, two-year revamp of its stores.

And pharmacies?

“Our plan is to double down on the business of pharmacy,” [CEO Heyward Donigan] said.

Rite Aid plans to hire more technicians and train them to do some of the responsibilities that are now performed by its pharmacists but don’t have to be so that the pharmacists can be now front and center and engage more with customers offering them more consultative support.

Surface action

How long does SARS-CoV-2 last on surfaces? The latest info:

  • 30 minutes in the air
  • 24 hours on paper and cardboard (e.g., that Amazon package)
  • 3 days on plastic or steel

GPhA members: Anthem announces extra CoviD-19 support

Anthem — which provides medical benefits to GPhA members who get their coverage through AIP (through J. Smith Lanier & Co.) — is offering some new benefits.

  • Telehealth through the company’s “Sydney Care” app, including live online video sessions, is free through June 14. (Coronavirus assessment is still in development “and expected to be available within the next week.”)
  • Flexible pharmacy benefits including expanded early prescription refills — “a 30-day supply of most maintenance medications.”
  • CoviD-19 tests are covered with no out-of-pocket costs. Normal co-pays and deductibles apply for treatment.

Click here for the details.

AIP store owners: For more information on the medical plan, contact Bryan Turner at bturner@jsmthlanier.com or (678) 656-2093.

The Long Read: “Mistakes Were Made” editionn

“The Infuriating Story of How the Government Stalled Coronavirus Testing“:

How one young doctor at a Seattle lab tried to get out in front of the coronavirus crisis by inventing his own test. And why the absurdity of his struggle should make us all afraid.