Georgia’s not that big

W00t! Here’s a healthcare stat where Georgia isn’t on the bottom: When it comes to fatness* and its consequences, the Peach State ranks 19th — meaning there are 18 fatter states, putting us … well, not in the middle, but not at the bottom. (The fattest states: Mississippi, West Virginia, Kentucky; the thinnest: Utah, Colorado, Massachusetts.)

That study considered both obesity and its outcomes (“health consequences”). Looking strictly at obesity, Georgia does a bit better, ranking #24. We score worse for outcomes because of the large number of uninsured people and untreated conditions.

Could Walgreens go private?

Apparently it’s a possibility, as parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance seems to have heard of an offer from a private investor and is exploring its options.

In recent months, Walgreens has held preliminary discussions with some of the world’s largest private equity firms about putting together what would be the biggest ever leveraged buyout, the sources said.

Get your immunization certificate

The flu season is upon us, so now is a great time to get your immunization skills up to snuff. We’re talking of course about APhA’s “Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery: A Certificate Program for Pharmacists” presented by GPhA.

We’ve got one last class in 2019: Sunday, December 8, from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the GPhA classroom
in Sandy Springs. It’s only $349 for GPhA members and gives 20 hours of CPE credit (including the home study). Get the details and sign up today at GPhA.org/2019immunization— space is limited!

Did someone say “doughnuts”?

Why yes — Penn State researchers. They’ve created tiny doughnuts — torus-shaped nanoparticles that can hold medication and be directed to a target by magnetic field.

Why a doughnut? Unlike other nano-meds, which are simply carried along with the bloodstream, the torus shape allows the particles to be propelled and steered toward where the meds are needed, then instructed to dump their payloads. Science!

Geography lesson

Puerto Rico is part of the United States.

“We obviously have work to do to help older adults understand safe and appropriate use of these medications”

Takeaways from the University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging:

• “Half of older Americans got help from the infection-fighting power of antibiotics in the past two years.”
• 1 in 5 have saved antibiotics and taken them for a later condition.
• 2 in 5 have asked for antibiotics for a cold (at least ones that don’t go away quickly), even though the drugs won’t actually work.
• 89% said they “understood that overuse of antibiotics could mean the drugs won’t work against infections in the future.”

Gut punch

Gut bacteria — the wrong gut bacteria — can apparently lead to colorectal cancer. “In fact, the new study goes beyond merely finding associations and suggests that certain bacteria in our guts may cause colorectal cancer.”

Did you hear us the first time?

First Canada said no, it was not going to allow the U.S. to import drugs em masse from its wholesalers. Now Canada’s U.S. ambassador is pointing out that, even if his country did allow exports to the U.S., it wouldn’t do much to lower prices anyway.

“Not only are we too small of a market, Canada cannot increase its domestic pharmaceutical drug supply to meet U.S. demand,” the statement said. “Canada remains dedicated to working with the U.S. to improve our citizens’ health and well-being, recognizing that Canada’s priority is to ensure a steady and solid supply of medications at affordable prices for Canadians.”

Despite the fact that Canada won’t be allowing exports, the Trump administration “called on the head of the Department of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, to speed up the administration’s efforts to allow cheaper medicines to be imported from Canada.”

Fun fact the Canadians pointed out: Florida spends more on prescription drugs than all of Canada.

The Long Read: The pain-med pendulum

“Doctors Are Still Denying People Pain Meds and the Results Are Deadly”

Despite warnings from federal health agencies not to cut every patients’ opioids, “patients, doctors, and advocates report that dose cutbacks are continuing—and a new survey shows that physicians remain hesitant to help these patients.”

Indeed, many large medical organizations, insurers, and state legislatures are still acting as though the now-outdated CDC guidelines are mandates to be applied to all patients.