Stone named to Board of Pharmacy

Congratulations to GPhA past president Dean Stone of Metter, who was just named to the Georgia Board of Pharmacy by Governor Kemp!

So what’s up with all the plans to reduce drug prices?

Everyone seems to want to tackle the issue of U.S. drug prices, or at least look like they are, and there have been plenty of proposals. We* pay the highest prices in the world, after all.

At least three ideas out of the White House have been cancelled (and two others are still out there), but there are plenty of others. Becker’s Hospital Review has the rundown.

* “We” mostly consisting of taxpayers (Medicare/Medicaid) and whoever pays for health insurance — employers or individuals.

So why are proposals failing?

Stat News wondered that very thing, and found some not-so-shocking answers. Check out “How pharma, under attack from all sides, keeps winning in Washington.”

Even though Washington has stepped up its rhetorical attacks on the industry, and focused its policymaking efforts on reining in high drug prices, the pharmaceutical industry’s time-honored lobbying and advocacy strategies have kept both lawmakers and the Trump administration from landing any of their prescription-drug punches.

On the other hand…

A bipartisan bill aimed at lowering prices might be coming out of the Senate shortly.

[Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck] Grassley has been in negotiations for months with Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), the panel’s top Democrat, and the pair are close to a deal, though there are still questions as to whether objections from other Republican senators on the committee could derail it.

One way it would work is by requiring drug companies to pay back Medicare Part D if their prices rise faster than inflation — a provision similar to how Medicaid works.

Dousing the flames

Physician burnout is getting a lot of press lately, and you know who might be able to help ease their pain? If you said “rutabaga farmers*,” try again. It’s pharmacists. A study out of the University of Minnesota found that, “Primary Care Providers Believe That Comprehensive Medication Management Improves Their Work-Life.”

When speaking of the pharmacist, PCPs spoke of them contributing a unique and complementary knowledge and skillset, as well as being a collaborative partner in caring for patients.

Some health systems have already gotten the message. It seems that “Pharmacists [are] Providing More Care in Health Systems.”

* No matter the situation, the word “rutabega” will always be funny.

Medicare and acupuncture

No, Medicare doesn’t cover acupuncture … not yet. But HHS is proposing that it cover the procedure “for people involved in research on whether the treatment is effective for chronic low back pain.”

(Note that the WaPo headline is misleading. So far this is only a proposal.)

If it turns out that acupuncture really does work, HHS would consider having Medicare cover it more broadly, hopefully as a way to reduce dependence on painkillers.

Friendly fire

Using the immune system to fight cancer is a great idea… until the same antibodies start attacking the brain.

His immune system was destroying nerve cells that emit a specific protein — the very same protein that had been emitted by the testicular cancer cells years earlier.

The long read:

There’s a link of some sort between inflammation and mental health, and the hygiene hypothesis might tie in as well. If there are bacteria we need to be exposed to in order to avoid an autoimmune response, could there be a vaccine — “The Vaccine That Could Prevent Stress, Anxiety, and Depression“?