Giving it away (finally)

The U.S. has a huge supply of Covid-19 vaccine, and the rest of the world has been getting more and more annoyed that we’re hoarding it without (at this point) any good reason. But now it’s changing, as the Biden administration is finally making moves to share the vaccines with the rest of the world — especially when there are states with vaccines that could expire soon.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken* said yes, yes, we’ll be giving them away, notably to Latin America where Chinese and Russian vaccines are already being distributed.

* Winken, Nod, not available for comment.

Vaccine incentives go high gear

President Biden is pulling out all the stops in an effort to hit his goal of a 70 percent vaccination rate. He’s got some incentives from private companies ranging from the “That oughta work” (free Budweiser for everyone once we hit 70%, Super Bowl tickets to see the Bills and Bucs) to the “Um, thank you?” (United Airlines tickets, as if anyone wants to fly United).

As of Wednesday, about 63 percent of American adults have received at least one coronavirus shot, according to the [CDC], and 12 states have passed the 70 percent mark; California and Maryland are the latest to do so. But a number of states, particularly in the South, are far short of that goal.

Pharmacists are ahead of the game

According to an APhA survey, 88% of pharmacists say they’re fully vaccinated, and another 4% are planning to be.

Latest milk news

Today, drinking milk is (flips coin) good for you. That’s right, an Aussie/British group of researchers say “people who regularly consume milk have a lower risk of heart disease.”

Assessing genetic biomarkers among 400,000+ people, the study found that greater milk consumption was associated with lower blood cholesterol, lower blood lipid levels, and a lower risk of heart disease.

Why? They think it might be the calcium, which helps break down fats.

This could have been a juvenile headline

Another week, another microbiome — and another avenue for research. The newest microbiome to attract attention from researchers is … the breast microbiome. Apparently it can be affect by various supplements (e.g., fish oil). But what got the attention of researchers at Wake Forest is that the breast microbiome can apparently also affect breast tumors.

Put another way, diet and supplements don’t just affect the tissue directly, they also affect the microorganisms, which in turn impact any tumors.

Results showed that fish oil supplementation significantly modified the breast microbiome in both non-cancerous and malignant breast tissue. For example, scientists found longer-term administration of fish oil supplements (four weeks) increased the proportional abundance of Lactobacillus in the normal tumor-adjacent breast tissue.

The usual mantra: More research to be done.

Now we can blame Tylenol

A new European study found that children whose mothers took acetaminophen while they were pregnant were slightly more likely to either have ADHD or be on the autism spectrum — we’re talking an odds ratio of about 1.2, aka about a two percent increased risk.

After the kids are born, though, there doesn’t seem to be any additional risk.

“Considering all evidence on acetaminophen and neurodevelopment, we agree with previous recommendations indicating that while acetaminophen should not be suppressed in pregnant women or children, it should be used only when necessary.”

There IS a technician shortage!

Last week, we asked you to respond to an NCPA survey asking if you were having trouble finding or recruiting pharmacy technicians. It seems the answer was a resounding “yes!”

The results:

• 80 percent say they are having a difficult time filling open positions in general.
• Nearly 90 percent say they can’t find pharmacy technicians
• Nearly 60 percent can’t find front-end employees to run the cash register, track inventory, and manage other basic tasks.

“This is a major challenge for community pharmacies that are seeing many more patients because of the pandemic,” NCPA CEO Douglas Hoey said. “Finding qualified workers is tough under normal circumstances. This is an acute problem for local pharmacies that should be at full strength now.”

Captain Obvious puts on “Matlock” reruns

“Older adults with functional impairments may be more likely to misuse prescription drugs” — they’re also more likely to use medical cannabis.

Stop before you crunch

If you’re thinking of eating cicadas — and, really, who isn’t? — hol’ up. The FDA is warning that if you’re allergic to seafood, you shouldn’t indulge — and that includes putting them on your pizza. (Also note that they are neither kosher nor halal, so clearly someone was thinking ahead.)