Trust issues

The latest poll about healthcare trust has some bad news for pharmacists: Trust in them (that is, you) dropped 3 percent from 2023 to 2024. That was only half the drop that trust in “friends and family” saw; maybe they got tired of being told, “No, dear, watermelon won’t cure your ingrown toenail no matter what you saw on TikTok.”

Trust also dropped in pharma companies, government leaders, and journalists — all likely because people think they can find better information on their own.

“The rise of empowerment is potentially something great,” said the CEO of Edelman Trust, which conducted the survey. “But without it being balanced with some form of trust in institutions, trust in expertise — if it’s all self-reliance, it’s like giving a kid the keys to a car and saying, ‘Go drive!’”

The problem, of course, is that “empowerment” for many people means “believing whatever nonsense is being spouted on social media,” leading to people thinking mRNA vaccines contain nanobots, or that drinking bleach can treat Covid.

CGM info and a free dinner, on Abbott

Hey, pharmacists and pharmacy techs — want to learn about Abbott’s new FreeStyle Libre 3 continuous glucose monitor? How about if Abbott threw in a free dinner to go along with it?

If you’re in the Columbus area this coming Tuesday, April 23, register for the aptly named “An Overview of the FreeStyle Libre 3 system.” The program is at Mabella Italian Steakhouse^* at 6:30 p.m. and includes dinner while you listen to Bantwal Baliga, the director at East Alabama Endocrinology.

Like we said, the program and food are free — but you do have to register. Click here to do that, then enter meeting ID 11165.

^* 6835 Midland Commons Blvd in Columbus (map)

Ups and downs for Lilly

The good news for Eli Lilly is that Zepbound (tirzepatide) was shown in phase-3 trials to work against obstructive sleep apnea.

It makes sense, of course. As GLP-1 drugs help treat obesity, they also help with the side effects, from heart issues to sleep apnea. The important part is getting FDA approval to treat those on-label, which would mean more insurance coverage for the drugs.

But the bad news….

…is that supply problems continue for Zepbound and other GLP-1 agonists. The drug isn’t expected to be out of shortage until June. The reason is simple: “insatiable demand.”

On the subject of GLP-1 agonists

Diabetes, obesity, heart issues, sleep apnea … what else might Mounjaro, Ozempic, and Zepbound be able to treat? How about fatty liver disease, kidney disease, brain disorders, Parkinson’s, Alzheimers, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety … heck, just throw a dart at an ICD-10 chart.

Forbes has the full rundown of what scientists are looking at.

Please, sir, can we have our asthma meds?

After pledging to lower the costs of its Flovent asthma med, GSK went and pulled it from the market, leaving generic fluticasone in its place — without that $35/month guarantee. Oh, well.

Worse, the generic version still isn’t covered by many insurers, so American kids can’t get their daily-use inhalers unless their parents shell out the big bucks — or convince the insurers to pay for it.

You would think insurance companies would be happy to cover cheaper generics, but you’re forgetting one thing: kickbacks. Insurers and PBMs don’t get kickbacks from drug makers on generic products, only on branded ones, so why bother covering the generics? That wouldn’t be good for shareholders, would it?

Short takes

New antibiotic for gonorrhea

GSK says its new, first-in-class gonorrhea treatment, gepotidacin, has passed its phase-3 trials with a 90+ percent success rate. That’s good news, what with STDs running rampant these days.

Elsewhere: Could Be Worse edition

Drug shortages here are a problem, but they’re worse overseas — specifically, in Britain, where they’re dealing with not only the general Europe-wide issues, but the continued fallout from Brexit. “Drug shortages in the UK more than doubled between 2020 and 2023 with Brexit likely to ‘significantly weaken’ the country’s ability to tackle supply chain snags.”

The Long Read: menopause, estrogen, and women’s unused options

Women have been dealing with menopause for a couple of hundred thousand years, and yet there’s still a bit of a stigma talking about it, the effects it can have on a woman’s body, and ways to help alleviate some of those negative issues.

Worse, as this article in the Atlantic explains, many gynecologists will try to solve everything with estrogen (or, if they’re British, oestrogen). Since the 1960s it’s been the go-to magic bullet for women in and after menopause.

Reality, though, is more complex — and we’ve learned a lot since the ’60s. Still, though, the lack of a “frank approach to sexuality” for both people born female and those who have transitioned there has kept many from realizing the benefits of other hormones. (Ironically, trans women often get better care when it comes to hormones.)

The point of all this, and of the Atlantic article, is that it’s important for women to think beyond estrogen.