CVS fights tampon tax

Georgia is one of 12 states that still taxes feminine hygiene products — that is, it actually has a separate tax beyond sales tax. Really. Now CVS has announced that it will pay this “tampon tax” in those states.

The chain also said it was lowering the price of all store-brand period products, as there are only 23 states that exempt them from sales tax. And then there’s Texas, where menstrual products are taxed as “wound care dressings” … but Band-Aids are not.

Get an hour of CE credit by learning the history of Coke!

The most famous product to come out of Georgia is Coca-Cola — you’ve probably heard of it. And you probably know it was invented by a pharmacist, John Pemberton.

Did you know he sold it to another pharmacist, Asa Chandler, because Pemberton’s morphine addiction was bankrupting him?

How about this: GPhA is offering an hour of CE on the history of Coca-Cola as part of our October “Pharmacy Tales from the Crypt” series!

It’s next Wednesday, October 19, from 7:30 – 8:30 pm.

Yep, you can get 1 hour of credit, at home, with our live webinar about pharmacist Asa Chandler and the early days of the Coke empire.

Click here for more info and to sign up!

The new street drug problem

Street drugs are like the chef’s special stew you get in a dodgy restaurant — you just never know exactly what’ll be in them. The latest: diphenhydramine. Apparently it’s in something like 15 percent of drugs that caused overdose deaths. Why? Dealers add it to prevent the itchy skin that opioid use can trigger. Isn’t that nice of them?

Problem: Antihistamines make it harder for naloxone to work, increasing the chance of death.

Covid overfilling

Either getting Covid itself or a vaccination might present problems for a certain segment of the population. Apparently either can cause dermal fillers to swell up.

It’s not a huge problem (outside of Instagram, at least) — we’re talking just 19 reports in the medical literature, but obviously not everyone reports it. In fact, it’s not clear that it is a vaccine reaction — the timing just suggests it.

What can be done? Oral corticosteroids for most, but some will need to have the filler dissolved.

Women of pharmacy — assemble!

May I have your attention‽

Once again, GPhA is partnering with the South Carolina Pharmacy Association to host the Southeastern Women of Pharmacy* Leadership Conference — its 20th year!

That means you get the membership rate (if you register for the full conference). Woo-hoo!

It’s January 13–15, 2023 at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC.

Click here for more info, including answers to important questions like “Who can attend?” (anyone, including students) and “I have booked a spa appointment time that conflicts with a CE course. What do I do?” (really).

Important: Register as a non-member of SCPhA, then use the discount code “GAMEMBER” before checkout.

Also important, per SCPhA: “We strongly recommend guests make their spa treatment reservations at the time they make their room reservation, to ensure the best selection and times.”

Early-bird registration rates and hotel block are open from now until November 28.

* Formerly the Southeastern Girls of Pharmacy Leadership Weekend

Colonoscopy correction

A few days ago we told you how a study found that colonoscopies may not be all they’re cracked up to be when it comes to preventing colon-cancer deaths. But, if you read more into the story than we did (and we’re embarrassed about this), you saw that there was a serious flaw:

It turns out that more than half of the research participants who were ‘invited’ to get a colonoscopy never showed up for the procedure.

And, as one gastroenterologist pointed out, “A colonoscopy will only work if a patient gets one.”

The real takeaway is that among people who actually did get a screening colonoscopy “the risk of developing colon cancer decreased by about 31%.”

And that’s a number worth the discomfort.

Fast long-Covid fact

About 16% of Georgians who survived Covid-19 also experienced long Covid. The state ranks 13th in that regard per CDC’s data, with Vermont at the lowest rate (8.1%) and West Virginia at the highest (25.2%). The national average is about 14.2%.

Grammar matters

If the last time you tasted a rat it wasn’t as sweet as you expected, this Neuroscience News headline might explain why: “High-Sugar Diet Decreases Ability to Sense Sweetness in Rats.”