It’s a miracle drug

A contraceptive gel developed at North Carolina State not only prevents pregnancy 100 percent of the time (!), it has an antiviral component to protect against STDs, and an male-libido enhancer. Whether it can act as a dessert topping or floor cleaner is still under investigation.

Combining three FDA-approved and marketed agents together, our trifunctional TGN gel has a great potential for further translation and commercialization.

You oughta be a leader

You must have thought, “I know what we should do.” Then step forward!

GPhA is looking for the team that will shape the future of pharmacy in Georgia — we’re now accepting applications for the 2021-2022 GPhA Board of Directors.

Serving on the board is the opportunity to affect the biggest issues facing Georgia pharmacy and make a lasting contribution to the industry. We encourage you to apply.

Click here for the application, or — if you have questions — contact Governance Manager Ashton Sullivan, at asullivan@gpha.org.

Covid vaccine notes

• More and more people want the vaccine. (One key driver: If someone they know gets it.)
• But there’s not enough to go around … yet. “Seniors might be frustrated, but so are local and state health departments, governors, doctors, and pretty much everyone else.”
• Sanofi, which is developing its own vaccine, has said it will begin manufacturing Pfizer’s to reduce the shortage … in the EU.
• The Biden administration is “on the cusp of securing an additional 200 million doses of the two coronavirus vaccines” increasing the country’s supply by 50 percent. (But even that won’t be enough, says Bloomberg.)

Reminder: DPH has a vaccine-finder for pharmacists and other healthcare workers. It also has one for patients.

All in the marketing

Pfizer says it’s going to deliver its U.S. doses faster than expected. Why? Because of that extra dose pharmacists found in each bottle. It’s not sending more, it’s just counting more.

Some general Covid notes

Covid-19 hospitalizations are down for 14 straight days — in Georgia, they’re down about 13 percent from last week. That’s a good sign.

The CDC says K-12 schools can reopen safely — but only the ones that are “requiring universal face mask use, increasing physical distance … increasing room air ventilation, and expanding screening.” Looking at you, Cobb County.

“[T]the type of rapid spread that was frequently observed in congregate living facilities or high-density worksites has not been reported in education settings in schools.”

More accurate testing

First there was the nasty “deep dive” nasal swab. Then came the more-merciful (and just as accurate) throat swabs. Now China is using what it says is an even more accurate test. Acceptance is a bit of an issue, though.

Headache, erenumab, and hypertension

If you have patients on erenumab for migraines, take note: There seems to be a notable chance of their developing hypertension.

All those viruses

“My gosh,” I bet you said, “I wish The Scientist would publish an easy-to-understand chart of all the SARS-CoV-2 variants out there!” The editors must have heard you: Here it is.

Why doesn’t lithium always work?

Lithium is old, effective, and the go-to treatment for bipolar disorder … but it doesn’t always work, and there can be side effects bad enough to convince people to quit. But who it will work for and how well it will work can often be a crapshoot. As Jerry Seinfeld would say, “What’s up with that?”

In what can’t be a shock, it’s all in the genes — specifically the expression of the LEF1 gene. (It was low in lithium-resistant patients.)

That means it’s something that can be tested before starting a patient on lithium, and it could lead to more-specific drugs targeted directly at that gene.

NCPA gives a thumbs up

Our friends at the National Community Pharmacists Association say they supports the Biden administration’s Covid-19 national strategy. That is all.