Pharmacy owners, stock your shelves

When you kiss that special someone, do you want him, her, or it thinking, “Mmm, you taste like petrolatum and octyldodecanol”? Or would you rather be told, “Mmm, you taste like a superfood!”? (And we don’t mean salmon or broccoli.)

Next time you smooch with Suzy Chapstick (kids, ask your parents), she might taste like dragon fruit, blueberry, or clover honey — the “three bold flavors” Chapstick is introducing.

And no, you don’t have to choose! The flavors are “Designed to be used alone or layered with another variety.” Mmm.

Congrats, Mercer P3s!

Mercer University held its pinning ceremony on Monday, watching with wistful joy as 111 unsuspecting students celebrated their transition from the warm embrace of the classroom to the cold, cruel world of practical pharmacy experience.

Congratulations, future PharmDs — here’s hoping that transition is smooth and your careers are awesome!

Paxlovid in the news

Could it treat long Covid?

Maybe. It’s only supposed to work if taken early (to prevent serious illness), but anecdotal evidence is emerging — slowly — that it might reduce the symptoms of long Covid. The obvious problem:

Anecdotes and case studies alone won’t be enough. So far, the reports of post-Paxlovid improvements have been too inconsistent, too scant “to gauge what’s really happening.”

And while it’s being tested (unofficially) here and there, no actual trials are planned … yet.

The Long Read: Telehealth edition

There’s now plenty of Paxlovid to go around, but it’s not being used. The bottleneck: Prescriptions. As in, people aren’t going to the doctor to get them. The solution might be telehealth: It would not only make it easier for sick people to get prescriptions, when combined with delivery it would keep them quarantined at home when they’re most contagious.

Pushing the ‘prednisone taper’

It could be that patients with lupus nephritis shouldn’t be taking maintenance prednisone. That’s the argument from Johns Hopkins University professor of medicine Michelle Petri. “Steroid use is no longer necessary for non-renal lupus,” she said, simply because any benefits are outweighed by the downsides.

It’s especially true for high doses, she said, which “can lead to an increase in avascular necrosis.” Not to mention the cost to the patient.

“If we could eliminate maintenance prednisone, we could eliminate significant insurance costs of caring for our lupus patients,” Petri said. “We need to push the prednisone taper.”

Covid crystal balls

Covid-19 cases will more than double in the next two weeks, according to Mayo Clinic modelling. Georgia is expected to see a rise, but it won’t be among the worst hotspots. (Pro tip: Avoid Missouri.)

Within the state, though, Bacon, Butts, Charlton, Laurens, and Morgan counties are projected to see a notable jump in cases.

Can texting patients improve adherence?

No. Well … not among the over-55 crowd, at least according to Aussie cardiology researchers.

They took 1,400 patients who had suffered acute coronary syndrome and tested whether “motivational and supportive weekly text messages on medications and healthy lifestyle” would convince them to take their meds. (Success would be greater than 80% adherence with up to five medications.)

No joy. It “had no effect on medical adherence but small effects on lifestyle risk factors*”.

I once was cognitively impaired but now I see

Not every case of cognitive impairment is actually a case of cognitive impairment. It could just be poor eyesight.

It’s pretty obvious when you think about it (which researchers at the University of South Australia did): Too many cognitive tests rely on vision, and that “could be skewing results in up to a quarter of people aged over 50 who have undiagnosed visual problems.”

“[I]f a mistaken score contributed to a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, it could trigger psychological problems including depression and anxiety. People with [age-related macular degeneration] are already experiencing multiple issues due to vision loss, and an inaccurate cognitive assessment is an additional burden they don’t need.”

Biogen and Alzheimer’s: Once more, with feeling

Its Aduhelm treatment for Alzheimer’s didn’t work. Its questionable fast-track FDA approval is under federal investigation. It disappointed Wall Street and just ousted its CEO.

But that doesn’t mean Biogen won’t take a second shot at an anti-amyloid beta drug. This one is lecanemab, and it’s still under investigation, but Biogen and its old partner, Eisai, have submitted a Biologics License Application with the FDA. And what d’ya know — they requested a priority review. At least if it’s another debacle, it’ll be over quickly.

Warning: fake Adderall

The warning comes from an Ohio State University, but it probably applies all over: There’s fake Adderall out there, and it’s killed at least two OSU students. (It’s laced with fentanyl, so it’s obvious they didn’t get it from their local community pharmacies.)