The variant that shall not be named

More teasers for the next season — in this case, a new variant popping up in the U.S. It doesn’t even have a Greek-letter name yet, but it’s showing up more and more often. Well, as long as it doesn’t appear in a place with a lot of unvaccinated people and few health protections in place, it shouldn’t be a big deal.

Oh, wait. It’s in Florida.

A Lantus biosimilar

The FDA has approved Semglee as an interchangeable biosimilar for Lantus. So what? The “interchangeable” part means it can be substituted at the pharmacy level, no prescription required.

(Historians, take note: That’s the first time the FDA has given out the “interchangeable” designation for a biosimilar. It could be Kind of a Big Deal, at least according to Stat.)

Don’t make Stella cry

Mary Ritchie is GPhA’s director of membership operations.

Mary is a really nice person — ask anyone who’s met her. Please, do something nice for Mary: Don’t wait till the deadline to renew your GPhA membership. Renew it today.

If everyone waits until August 31, Mary’s workload gets crazy. She ends up working late while her dog Stella cries at the door, waiting for her.

Please, help spread the renewal rush out a bit, and complete yours today. Every minute helps. Do it for Stella.

Click here to renew today.

Artist’s conception

So rambunctious for a juvenile

When treating preschool kids with ADHD, it’s probably better to skip the stimulants and start with A2As like guanfacine and clonidine. A study out of Boston Children’s Hospital found that A2As work just as well for the young uns, but have fewer side effects than, say, methylphenidate.

Moodiness, loss of appetite, sleep problems — all showed up less with A2As, and a wild guess says that parents would appreciate that.

45 more days

The FDA has extended the official shelf life of the Janssen/J&J Covid vaccine to six months — it had been three months, then 4.5, and now it looks good for even longer “when refrigerated at temperatures of 36 – 46 degrees Fahrenheit (2 – 8 degrees Celsius).”

Confusion cleared

Do you order controls? Have you woken in the middle of the night worrying who is supposed to enter the supplier’s DEA registration number on Form 222? Worry no more! The DEA has clarified: Either you or the supplier can enter it. Rest easy*.

* Actually, never rest easy when it comes to the DEA.

A fruity Parkinson’s treatment

Farnesol: it’s in fruit and herbs, it’s used in perfumes, and … well, it seems to reverse brain damage in mice with Parkinson’s.

It’s like this: A protein called PARIS interferes with another protein, PGC-1 alpha. Less PGC-1 alpha means less dopamine production — and more Parkinson’s effects.

So send in the farnesol. It binds to the PARIS, letting the PGC-1 alpha do its thing and — bam! — dopamine production continues.

[The researchers] discovered that the mice fed a farnesol-supplemented diet had twice as many dopamine neurons than mice fed the regular diet. The farnesol-fed mice also had approximately 55 percent more of PGC-1 alpha.

Elsewhere: I’m Not Dead Yet edition

The Brits are looking for volunteers for trials of a new vaccine against the capital-P Plague. Just in case.

The Long Read: Big Pharma’s Little Secret

“Drug Cross-Contamination Is Rampant” — even when their machines are cleaned properly, there’s still a chance that traces of one drug will remain when another one is produced — and (shockingly) their machines aren’t always cleaned properly.