NCPA names Ira Katz Independent Pharmacist of the Year

Congrats to GPhA Past President Ira Katz, owner of Atlanta’s Little Five Points Pharmacy — he was named the NCPA Independent Pharmacist of the Year* for demonstrating “exemplary professional leadership, service to community, and commitment to independent pharmacy.”

* Technically the National Community Pharmacists Association 2021 Willard B. Simmons Independent Pharmacist of the Year Award.

In Georgia news

Former Georgia Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison Tuesday for fraud and money laundering.

Georgia once again ranks near the bottom — #4, in this case — for health insurance coverage, behind Texas, Oklahoma, and Alaska. About 13.4% of Georgians don’t have insurance, and 16.6% have avoided medical care because of cost.

FDA news

Ease up on the salt

The FDA has lowered the limits it wants to see in products with a lot of salt, like … sheesh, just about everything. The key phrase, though, is “wants to see.” The recommendations are non-binding, and don’t even have a time frame, although if the industries don’t comply that could change.

First e-cig can advertise

The agency also gave its first approval for marketing of a vaping product, allowing British American Tobacco to promote its Vuse Solo e-cigarettes and tobacco-flavored pods.

File under “That’s vaguely interesting”:

Going for the green, Japanese pharma company Astellas has begun using the first “biomass-based plastics made from plant-derived materials” in the blister packs for its pharmaceutical products. It claims to be “the world’s first use of biomass plastic for drug blister packages.” Who are we to argue?

A pill to keep you free

A potential new tool to stop opioid addiction is the extract of the Corydalis yanhusuo plant. It’s simple (say the University of California pharmaceutical researchers who published their findings): Simply take the compound, called YHS, at the same time as an opioid.

The research findings show that YHS, when coadministered with morphine, inhibits morphine tolerance, dependence and addiction. If YHS is used with morphine at the start or during pain management, there will be less need of morphine and thus less risk of addiction.

Twist: YHS is a traditional Chinese medicine, and it’s available online as an analgesic.

Speaking of opioids…

A meta-analysis by Canadian researchers found that “Topical medication for pain relief is safer and more effective than opioids in treating knee osteoarthritis pain.”

Opioids, they said, “did not significantly relieve pain for osteoarthritis patients.” On the other hand, over-the-counter diclofenac does work. (And, in fact, they suggest that diclofenac be the first treatment a patient tries.)

Today’s new breakthrough Covid treatment

This one is from Switzerland — a “highly potent antibody” discovered by researchers there that (they say) stops the virus from replicating while not being affected by changes to the spike protein.

The antibody blocks the spike protein from binding to cells expressing the ACE2 receptor, which is the receptor the virus uses to enter and infect lung cells. That means the antibody halts the viral replication process.

Even better, it can offer protection for six to eight months. Next up: Production and clinical trials before it can enter the crowded field of “game-changers.”

Hooray for not going anywhere

“Hip fracture hospitalizations down 11% during first COVID-19 lockdown”

Elsewhere: New Joisey

Yesterday we told you that mushrooms were good for depression. There’s one big caveat: They can’t be poisonous. This is a lesson being learned the hard way, based on poison control center reports.

The folks at Rutgers University had a useful suggestion:

“Be skeptical of recipes online and in specialty cookbooks encouraging you to add adventurous twist to meals by picking (foraging) wild mushrooms.”