Gobs of new CPEasy programs!

Looking to score some sweet, sweet, continuing ed credits but tired of the same old courses? Check this out: GPhA has added 19 new courses to our CPEasy lineup.

CPEasy: 60- to 90-minute webinars. Pharmacists and techs. Watch from home or wherever you have Internet access. Take the quiz, get the ACPE-approved CE credit. $20 for GPhA members, $42 for non-members. GPhA.org/cpeasy.

Some of the new courses:

• The 2019 annual pharmacy law update
• “Reducing Benzodiazepine Use in Older Adults”
• “Cannabis Oil and Hemp/CBD Oil”
• “Fraud and Abuse: What Every Pharmacist Should Know”

You can even get your annual OSHA bloodborne-pathogen update.

Visit GPhA.org/cpeasy to see the new lineup and start taking some fresh courses!

Shake that mouse

That’s not a euphemism: While investigating bone loss in space, researchers at the Medical College of Georgia (Go Jaguars!) found that vibrating mice regularly can reduce glucose and inflammation.

Applying 20 minutes of whole body vibration produced a dramatic drop in A1C levels, a measure of blood glucose, over a few months.

The possible mechanism might have to do with Alistipes bacteria in the gut — a bacteria common in cows and other ruminants — which increased 17-fold when the mice were shaken*.

* Not stirred

Libido shot, for a price

Vyleesi: it’s not just a leftover Game of Thrones character — it’s a “female libido injectable therapy” recently approved by the FDA that will sell for a mere $899.

Women will be able to buy a pack of four injectors of which one needs to be administered at least 45 minutes before anticipated sexual activity, the company said on Tuesday. It will compete with Sprout Pharmaceuticals’ Addyi, a once-daily pill.

Hepatitis is a notion / sweepin’ the nation

Hepatitis A, that is — it’s a consequence of the opioid epidemic, and while it may start in prisons and with the homeless, it doesn’t stay there for long.

Since 2016, the virus has spawned outbreaks in at least 29 states, starting with Michigan and California. It has sickened more than 23,600 people, sent the majority to the hospital and killed more than 230.

‘Industrial disinfectants should not be swallowed’: FDA

The FDA would like to remind you that drinking bleach is bad for your health, no matter how sincere the guy selling it as a medical treatment seems to be.

If you’re drinking “Miracle” or “Master” Mineral Solution or other sodium chlorite products, stop now. […] Both sodium chlorite and chlorine dioxide are the active ingredients in
disinfectants and have additional industrial uses. They are not meant to
be swallowed by people.

Because no one lies to their doctor

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force* is considering a recommendation that physicians screen all adults — but not adolescents — for illicit drug use. By “screening” it meant simply asking or by using screening tools (e.g., the six-question “Brief Screener for Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Drugs”). It’s not suggesting blood or other tests.

Want to comment? You have until September 9; use the link above.

* “An independent, volunteer panel of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine”

Another Canadian roadblock

Bloomberg points out that, in order to import drugs from Canada beyond the small scale, the Trump administration will need the cooperation of the drug manufacturers. And, to put it bluntly, that ain’t likely to happen.

“We’re not in the business of exporting,” said Daniel Chiasson, president of the Canadian Association for Pharmacy Distribution Management representing distributors like Gamma Wholesale Drugs Ltd. and McKesson Corp.‘s Canadian unit. “There is no merit to doing so — in fact, there is a disincentive.”

Shocking conclusion

Walnuts might protect against ulcerative colitis, according to a study out of UConn (Go Huskies!) and Texas A&M (Go Aggies!) … and funded by the California Walnut Commission. Imagine that.

The long read: Georgia marijuana edition

“Medical marijuana in Georgia: A closer look” from Connect Savannah.