Fishy drugs

Did you know you can buy fish antibiotics online without a prescription? Apparently plenty of Americans do, and they’re buying them instead of visiting a physician — because they’re a lot cheaper.

[A]t least five of the antibiotics marketed for fish that researchers looked at had the exact imprints, colors and shapes of antibiotics for humans, which could encourage people to use them.

“This simply seems to be a symptom of the much larger issue of a broken healthcare system, where people who are excluded from the system are looking for solutions outside of it, sometimes to dangerous effect.”

How about a pharmacogenomics certificate?

Do you have some extra wall space (not counting the section you set aside for GPhA’s certificate programs)? Why not get yourself a sweet, sweet pharmacogenomics certificate to frame? You’ll even get 20 hours of CPE credit if you finish it and beat the final boss.

PGx101 is offering the next session of “Test2Learn Pharmacogenomic Certificate Training” on the campus of South University in Savannah on Saturday, January 25, 2020 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

It’s $497, but tell you what — use the code South50off and you’ll save $50! Of course you’ll earn 20 hours of ACPE-accredited CE hours, that certificate, and a fresh line on your CV.

Check it out!

Vaping disease update

In the past week, at least 118 more hospitalizations (2,409 total), and 4 more deaths (52 total), per the CDC.

Good news, though: It may have peaked.

An e-cig middle ground?

Vaping bans — good or bad? Why not both?

• Good: They can prevent teens from getting addicted to nicotine and going down a path that can lead to smoking; they’re a smart idea for long-term public health.
• Bad: Vaping is still (probably) better than tobacco cigarettes, and it can be a ‘reverse gateway’ that helps smokers quit. Bans just mean more people keep smoking.

Both are arguably true, but each side tends to argue but which one you promote depends on which side you’re on.

So now some researchers, including Emory’s James Curran, have tried to find a middle ground — “Policy action has consequences for those who have never smoked, especially youth. It also has implications for current and future smokers,” they write.

Their solution: Target menthol. Eliminating that could allow existing smokers to switch to vaping, while preventing a lot of kids from starting the habit.

“52% of all youth and more than 90% of African American youth initiate smoking with menthol. If we are going to take policy action on flavors, menthol in combustible products must be the first target.”

Could Tamiflu go OTC?

If we said “No,” you’d be really annoyed with us, wouldn’t you? But yes, yes it will, although Sanofi (which will make the generic version) hasn’t set a date yet.

ICYMI (1)

Stephen Hahn was confirmed as the new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. He will be the sixth person to hold the post under the Trump administration, following Robert Califf, Stephen Ostroff, Scott Gottlieb, Norman Sharpless (acting), and Brett Giroir (acting). Fun fact: His official title is “Commissioner of Food and Drugs.”

ICYMI (2)

The House passed a drug-pricing bill. The biggest part: It would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, rather than pay whatever drug makers charge. Republicans, including Georgia’s Buddy Carter, voted against it, saying it would reduce drug companies’ revenue; the GOP-led Senate is unlikely to pass it as well. And while candidate Donald Trump supported Medicare negotiations, president Trump is against them, favoring instead a plan that would cap increases. So file it under “posturing.”