Region meeting start tomorrow!

That’s you, Region 5: Thursday, October 10 at 6:30 at the Maggiano’s
at 3368 Peachtree Rd. in Atlanta.

The other regions have their meetings starting next week. Sign up now for yours at GPhA.org/briefings!

Each one includes…

• A critical run-down of the changes to laws and regulations that are going to impact your pharmacy practice … and your patients
• A GPhA membership update
• One hour of CE credit
• A sponsor presentation on a current pharmacy-related topic
• A chance to meet and connect with other pharmacy pros in your area
• A great meal for only $10 ($25 for non-GPhA members)!

Find your region — and your meeting — today at GPhA.org/briefings!

Could Vioxx make a comeback?

Not for arthritis (because, you know, it killed people), but for hemophilic arthropathy.

Now that Vioxx’s relationship with cardiovascular danger is well understood, they say, doctors could mitigate future problems by ensuring that patients at high risk don’t get it, and by consistently monitoring those who do.

Neither Arya nor Tony could be reached for comment

HHS wants to loosen the Stark Law — the one that prevents physicians from self-referral. Unlike when the law was first passed 30 years ago, hospitals have argued, these days health systems are expected to work together more, and the law gets in the way.

Pregnant rats shouldn’t drink

Rats that drink even a little during pregnancy — say, at a rat barbecue or birthday party — still might cause harm to their fetuses.

The rats’ blood alcohol concentration only reached 0.05%, and yet their male offspring became almost diabetic, with insulin levels reaching higher than expected to maintain normal blood sugar levels.

So that’s what happens when you cut sex-ed programs

The latest CDC numbers show the country has set a record for combined cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, “including an alarming jump in the rate of newborn deaths caused by congenital syphilis.”

It attributed the increase to several factors, including a decline in condom use among young people and men who have sex with men; increased screening among some groups; and cuts to sexual health programs at the state and local level.

A predisposition to PTSD?

In what the study authors call a landmark study, researchers at the Stanley Center (MIT/Harvard) say they’ve found six genetic markers that indicate a higher risk of PTSD. The global project looked at a samples from a whopping 30,000 PTSD cases and 170,000 controls.

Of the gene locis identified, three are present in all genders and three are in men only. (Men of European ancestry are more likely to have the markers than either men of African ancestry or women of any ancestry.)

Remind your pregnant patients: Get vaccinated

Specifically, against the flu and pertussis. Vaccination rates are low for both, and that puts babies in danger.

Elsewhere: California

California is making HIV-prevention meds (pre- and post-exposure) available without a prescription.

California’s law allows pharmacists to provide up to a 60-day supply of PrEP, after which a patient would need to consult a physician to continue its use. The law will also prohibit insurance companies from requiring prior authorization to cover the drugs’ cost.