Yikes — we missed Cassie!

There should have been four big shouts outs in yesterday’s Buzz. There were actually four GPhAers who made this year’s Bulldog 100 — we missed Cassie Riley, owner of Jennings Mill Drug Company in Watkinsville!

We’re sorry, Cassie!

Test failure

Good: The CDC had sent CoviD-19 test kits to state labs to speed up identification of the infected.

Bad: Some of those kits may not work. It’s not that they give inaccurate results, it’s that state health officials may not be able to get them to function properly and have to send samples to CDC instead.

And the understatement of the day:

“Obviously, a state wouldn’t want to be doing this test and using it to make clinical decisions if it isn’t working as well, as perfectly, at the state as it is at C.D.C.”

An answer from Emory

Emory researchers think they have an effective treatment for the virus. It’s called EIDD-2801, and it seems pretty potent according to the university:

EIDD-2801 is an oral ribonucleoside analog that inhibits the replication of multiple RNA viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, chikungunya, Ebola, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, and Eastern equine encephalitis viruses.

EIDD-2801 was about to be tested on humans (for flu treatment), but now the researchers want to test it against the CoviD-19 virus as well. Click here for the lay version of the story.

SB313 in the news

A Georgia Senate subcommittee held a hearing on SB313 — an important bill that will help rein in PBMs and curb some of their worst abuses.

“What we’re seeing is self-dealing on the grandest of scales in health care by the pharmacy benefits managers,” said Greg Reybold, vice president of public policy for the Georgia Pharmacy Association.

Greg will have more about that hearing and what it means in his next Legislative Update. In the meantime, read about the hearing and the bill…

…in the AJC
…in The Center Square
…in the Augusta Chronicle
…in Northwest Georgia News

What’s gonna happen with the drug supply?

It’s not entirely clear how CoviD-19 will eventually affect the U.S. drug supply, but Moody’s has its predictions.

For branded drug makers, manufacturing plants in China chiefly serve the Chinese and Asian markets, where demand is plummeting as people are avoiding going out, even for medication. So the companies’ biggest issue will be to their bottom lines.

For generic drug makers, it might be a bit dicier, because some of those companies rely on Chinese ingredients. Many, though, will have “safety stock and alternate supply arrangements” in place.

Bottom line: There’s potential for disruption, but it doesn’t seem like it will be a huge issue.

Medical cannabis card count

In case you were curious, the current count is 14,511 Georgians with cards allowing them to possess — but not buy or transport — “low THC oil,” according to the Department of Public Health. That’s a jump of more than 70 percent in a year.

Crazy math

Utah is saving money by paying for state workers to travel to Mexico to see physicians and pharmacists there, where their medications are a lot less expensive.

The cost difference is so large that the state’s insurance program for public employees can pay for each patient’s flight, give them a $500-per-trip bonus and still save tens of thousands of dollars.

28 diseases later

The Chinese government says that cases of CoviD-19 seem to have plateaued, the mortality rate remains low, and it looks like a vaccine will be available in the not-too-distant future.

So maybe you’re looking for something else to worry about. Don’t fret; Live Science has you covered with “28 Devastating Infectious Diseases.” Including pictures!

Locks need to be locked

The CDC did a study and wants to remind people: “Child-resistant packaging keeps kids safe – but only when pills are inside.” Apparently…

Each year there are about 400,000 poison center calls and 50,000 ER visits as a result of young children ingesting medications when adults weren’t paying attention.

The biggest culprit: Pill organizers that aren’t child-resistant — especially grandparents’.

Elsewhere: “When the wind comes right behind the rain” edition

The Oklahoma Pharmacy Board is investigating staffing levels at chain pharmacies for “creating a stressful work environment for pharmacists.”

Fun fact: The Oklahoma state motto is “Work conquers all.”