Vitamin D and IBD

Oh, vitamin D, you’re so good for so many things — or at least the lack of you is so bad for so many things. The latest: inflammatory bowel disease.

Bulgarian researchers found that IBD patients who aren’t getting enough vitamin D have more inflammation, and one thing we know is that inflammation is never a good thing. In this case…

“Insufficient vitamin D levels in IBD patients are known to heighten relapse risks and disease recurrence, potentially resulting in complications like osteoporosis and calcium deficiency due to its impact on inflammation and IBD development.

The study has a common caveat: The Bulgarians can’t say if there’s causation or just correlation — there are a bunch of causes of low D, and one of them might also cause those IBD complications. Still, when it comes to vitamin D, “[S]upplementation may complement existing treatments and potentially help manage disease severity and relapse.”

Advocacy ready for in action: 2024’s first legislative update

It’s only about 3½ weeks till the Georgia legislative session begins, but our Melissa Reybold is already gearing up. Check out her first legislative update for the 2024 session, including information about our champions, our bills, what PBMs are up to, and more. Of course she’ll keep you updated throughout the session,

Shout-out to some awesome students

The AACP just announced the inaugural list of Community Pharmacy Student Scholar Leaders — 66 student pharmacists who showed “their passion for serving as leaders and healthcare providers in their communities.”

Not surprisingly, several Georgia students were on that list (and every one of them is a GPhA member):

• Noah Gurr, University of Georgia
• Jonathan “Will” Marquess, University of Georgia
• Natalie Novak, Mercer University
• Jonathan Reynolds, University of Georgia
• Samuel Smith, Mercer University

A big high-five to all of ’em!

Vaccination plans

Most American parents plan to be sure their kids are vaccinated for the two of the Big 3 respiratory viruses going around — flu, and RSV; a smaller number are concerned about Covid-19. That’s the result of a study out of Texas A&M that surveyed more than 5,000 parents across the US.

A statistical analysis found that about 40% of parents intended to vaccinate their children against Covid-19, 63% against influenza, and 71% against RSV.

And there you have it.

Drugmakers to pay the piper

The White House is sharpening its IRA rebate sword, ready to demand payback from pharma companies that raised the prices of their products a bit too enthusiastically.

Although it didn’t release specifics, HHS said there are 48 Medicare Part B drugs whose makers raised prices faster than inflation in the last quarter of 2023 “and may be subject to inflation rebates in the first quarter of 2024 as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act.”

Starting in January, some Medicare beneficiaries who take these 48 prescription drugs – including drugs used to treat cancer and fight infections – will have lower coinsurance than what they would have paid otherwise, and their out-of-pocket costs may decrease by $1 to as much as $2,786 per average dose.

Note that those are Part B drugs — the ones given in hospitals or doctors’ offices. There are an additional 16 drugs that had their prices jacked up over the past year (not just Q4) that might also be subject to rebates.

The only drug the administration named specifically was Signifor, for which Novartis has raised the price faster than inflation for every quarter since the law took effect.

Trigger warning: The above link goes to the White House’s announcement, which is just a teeeeeeeny bit political (but has more detail). For a straight news story, Fierce Pharma has you covered.

mRNA flu vax: Maybe, maybe not

There’s a good chance an mRNA vaccine for the flu is close to being available, but will it take off? Sure, it’ll probably be better than the current egg-grown vaccines (and quicker to deploy), but will insurers pay the higher price? As one expert put it, “Clearly if they are going to be coming with a vaccine at four times the cost, they’re going to have to at least show twice the benefit.”

For more on this, head over to Stat News, which has a great overview of the pros and cons of mRNA flu vaccines.

Medical cannabis in Georgia: the saga continues

The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission met to discuss the state’s response to those DEA letters threatening the independent pharmacies that are registered to dispense low-THC oil to licensed patients. The gist: The members still expect the dispensing law — the Hope Act — to be fully implemented. But there’s clearly some work to be done to protect pharmacists.

Said the commission’s general counsel:

“I don’t think the state is quiet. I think right now we’re gathering information and seeing what’s the best way to move forward while also keeping in mind the interests of our patients and the industry. I know that’s not super specific, but there are things kind of developing in response to the letter.”

One possibility is a rider on the current federal budget bill that “that bars the federal government from interfering with state-legal medical marijuana programs.” But, as with anything budget-related, there’s no telling how it will end up when the bill is passed.

Numbers, in case you’re curious:

• 23 pharmacists are approved to dispense the low-THC oil in Georgia.
• 120 independent pharmacies have applied to dispense the products.
• About 14,000 Georgia patients are registered to receive it.
• There are so far only 9 licensed dispensaries and 2 licensed producers.