Reminder: You can give flu shots to kids

In August, pharmacists nationwide — and yes, that includes Georgia — were given the go-ahead to give all ACPI-recommended childhood vaccines to anyone aged 3 and over, regardless of state law; that was later extended to the flu vaccine.

Apparently, despite having written about this in GPhA Buzz, not everyone got the memo. Pharmacists, it seems, don’t realize that they’re allowed to give kids flu shots. Georgia in particular is called out.

Even though the August federal declaration supersedes those state laws, most of those states did not directly let pharmacies know about the new rule, and many of the pharmacies contacted by CNN were not aware of it.

Click here to read the official piece, written by GPhA’s own Greg Reybold and Bob Coleman, explaining the HHS ruling.

What health insurers are betting on

Most health insurers aren’t raising their Obamacare-exchange premiums because of Covid. Not that they don’t think it’ll be an issue, but because they think that “healthcare use” in general will remain lower in 2021: People will still be iffy about sitting in a doctor’s office next to that twitchy guy with … was that a cough?

Kaiser’s study found that the most common ways COVID-19 could drive up costs were through COVID-19 testing, the costs of covering a vaccine and the rebounding of medical services delayed due to the pandemic.

But at the same time, insurers believe that healthcare use will remain lower than usual in the next year, which could offset the increased COVID-19 costs.

Moms name Shannon Pharmacist of the Year

Big congrats to GPhA board member and pharmacy advocate Jennifer Shannon, who was named Independent Woman Pharmacist of the Year by the Pharmacist Moms Group (and sponsored by First Financial Bank).

“My most favorite title in the world is ‘mom,’” Shannon said, “so to be recognized by other moms — and for my children to see it — was an incredible honor on Women Pharmacist Day.”

Note: An earlier version of this story reported that Shannon received the award at a reception in Stockholm. In fact it was mailed to her in Johns Creek.

Vaccine news

Way to go, Buddy!

Speaking of vaccine trials, a big shout-out to Georgia congressman Buddy Carter (you may have heard of him), who is one of 45,000 people who volunteered to be part of the phase 2 test through Meridian Clinical Research.

J&J vaccine trial to continue

Johnson & Johnson, which had paused its Covid-19 vaccine trial after an unexplained illness, still has not explained it (“no clear cause has been identified”), but is now confident it’s unrelated to the vaccine and is planning to resume the trial.

Medicare and Medicaid will cover it

The Trump Administration will soon announce that Medicare and Medicaid will cover any out-of-pocket costs for the eventual Covid-19 vaccine. (Because the vaccine will probably be approved with an Emergency Use Authorization, Medicare and Medicaid typically wouldn’t cover it without this change in policy.)

Aspirin vs. Covid; correlation vs. causation

I like Forbes’s Bruce Lee. He cut through the potential hype from a study that implied aspirin might reduce the risk of death from Covid-19. Sure, there seems to be a correlation, but it could simply be that the kind of person who takes daily aspirin (i.e., health-conscious) is less likely to die from the virus.

For example, the rise of the Kardashians during the 2010’s has correlated with a rise in the stock market. So has the rise in “ugly shoes.” Does this mean that either have been responsible for what’s happened with the stock market? Does this mean that Kim Kardashian in Crocs will be the key if you are an investor? Not necessarily, unless that happens to be your thing. Just because two things happened at once, doesn’t mean that one caused the other.

For diabetics, pharmacists are the people to see

Sure, these days it’s all about Covid-19. But that doesn’t mean other issues have gone away — and they might be getting worse. Take diabetes. With patients wary of medical offices, pharmacists are the front lines* for keeping it at bay.

Be the best pharmacist you can be — be at the top of your game for helping people with diabetes.

GPhA is presenting the blockbuster CE certificate program, APhA’s The Pharmacist and Patient-Centered Diabetes Care Certificate Training Program on Sunday, November 8, 2020 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the GPhA headquarters in Sandy Springs. [map]

With the home study, the course provides 23.0 contact hours (!) of CE credit, and a lovely certificate (aka, something to show your patients … or employers). Most importantly, it will equip you with the latest knowledge and skills for helping patients manage their diabetes.

Everyone’s welcome, but GPhA members get a discount. Click here or visit GPhA.org/diabetes2020 for more info and to register today!

* Cliché and overused, but still true

Lilly study stopped

A study of treating Covid-19 with a combination of remdesivir and Eli Lilly’s antibody treatment has been called off for not showing any clinical benefit. (This is the same study that had been paused earlier this month due to safety concerns.)

Walmart sues DOJ

The feds are preparing to sue Walmart for its role in the opioid epidemic, but Walmart is striking first. It’s suing the Department of Justice, demanding clarification of the law — “a judicial declaration to resolve a dispute with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) about the obligations of pharmacists and pharmacies under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).”

The issue, the company says, is that its pharmacists are caught between a rock and a hard place:

On one hand, DOJ is criticizing Walmart for not taking further actions to second-guess opioid prescriptions; on the other, state health regulators argue that Walmart is unnecessarily meddling with physician-patient relationships.

Today’s eyebrow-raising science story

Those shifty Danes are thinking just a bit out of the box when it comes to new sources of food.

Using an enzyme found in the papaya fruit, researchers from the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Food Science have developed a method to extract protein from pig blood. The result is a fine, white, neutral tasting powder with a 90 percent protein content. One that can be used as a supplement in a wide variety of foods.

But … why? Because, you see, “Pig blood protein has a higher nutritional value than any other plant or dairy-based protein on the market.”