High-five for Mandy Reece

A big shout-out to GPhA member Mandy Reece of Gainsville, whose letter advocating for step therapy reform was published in the Gainsville Times. Way to go, Dr. Reece!

(Shameless plug: We love the bill she wrote about — GPhA testified in favor of it earlier this year.)

“No other country allows pharmaceutical companies to charge any price they want for any reason they want”

Two U.S. senators are introducing a bill they say can cut medication costs in the country by more than 40 percent. The idea is simple: Prohibit Medicare and Medicaid from paying more for a drug than the median price in five major countries: Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan.

And if the drugmakers refuse? By law, Medicare has to pay for every FDA-approved drug, so…

If pharmaceutical manufacturers refuse to lower drug prices below that level, the federal government would approve cheaper generic versions of those drugs, regardless of any patents or market exclusivities in place.

Fido lives

The FDA wants to cut the use of dogs in veterinary drug trials. Among other goals, the agency wants to stop euthanasia and autopsies necropsies and instead have “one single study involving a small number of dogs where the dogs will only be subject to minimally invasive blood sampling, and adopted as pets at the completion of the short trial.”

Nothing is simple

Having pharmacists ready and allowed to dispense naloxone is an easy call, but even using the nasal spray requires at least some training. That makes the issue a bit more complicated.

And then there’s the fact that some pharmacists don’t carry it. Some won’t dispense it without a prescription even when they can. And who should train patients on how to use them?

Stat News looks at the issue … and what comes next.

You had one job

“Alleviate PTSD symptoms.” But it seems Prazosin may do just the opposite.

Joe Kennedy changes his mind

The Massachusetts congressman used to be anti-marijuana legalization. But now, with “patchwork legislation” among the states — most have legalized it to some extent, but some, like Georgia, have not — he says it’s time for nationwide legalization.

“My concerns about the public health impact of marijuana remain. But it has become clear that prohibition has wholly failed to address them. I believe legalization is our best chance to actually dedicate resources toward consumer safety, abuse prevention, and treatment for those who need it,” he wrote.

The long read: “Will we ever cure Alzheimer’s?”

The will is there. The money is there. The researchers are there. So why is this such a tough nut to crack?

Elsewhere: NY legislator goes after mail-order pharmacies

A New York state assemblyman — who’s also a pharmacist — is tired of seeing tens of thousands of dollars in meds go unused.

A lot of the blame, he says, belongs to mail-order pharmacies, and he wants a law…

…that would mandate pharmacies that deliver or mail prescriptions get consent from patients before making each delivery.

Should the pharmacies continue to send unneeded medication, they would be held responsible for retrieving the medication, reversing the insurance claim and disposing of the medication.